The Magic of Alchemy with Ninjas
by Firebreathing Ghost
Summary: A Harry Potter, Fullmetal Alchemist, Naruto crossover. The three worlds join forces... but so do their villains. What will happen? Who will win? Who will go home alive? Find out!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything from the Harry Potter, Fullmetal Alchemist or Naruto worlds.

**Note: **The start of the story takes place the summer before Harry's 7th year, Ed and Al's return to East City and the second leg of the Chuunin Exam, where they're in the forest of death.

* * *

It was a sunny mid-August noon. Three 17-year-olds shouldering huge backpacks stood in a dusty old attic. They were admiring a large circle the had drawn on the floor. The circle was about three meters in diameter, and filled with mysterious symbols and runes. They had researched away all of July before they had come across this handy bit of magic. They had spent the last two weeks perfecting every little stroke of every little rune in the circle. Now it was finished. The fruit of their labour.

"It doesn't look _that _special." The tallest of the group, a boy with freckles and red hair named Roy Weasley made a face.

"Well it is. So shut up." The only girl, a brunette named Hermione Granger snapped.

"What do we do now?" A black-haired boy with glasses and a lightening-bolt shaped scar on his head asked.

"Well, we just step into the circle, say the spell I taught you, think about Voldemort's horcrux and presto! We're there!" Hermione looked pleased at herself for finding the spell. "We should go after the locket first, because we know what it looks like."

"Well, I can't wait any longer." Harry stepped into the circle. "You guys don't have to come..."

"Don't be ridiculous mate, we're you best friends." Ron stepped into the circle with him.

"Besides, it only works with four or more people." Hermione read off the textbook she had found the spell in. Her eyes widened as she realized the step she'd just missed. Hermione swore. "How could I miss it! Four or more people! Four or more!"

Just then, a blonde girl one year their junior wandered into the attic.

"Mrs. Weasley says lunch is ready." she announced. She was known as Luna Lovegood, and her eyes widened (even more then they already were) when she saw the circle. "Oh! Is that a Transportation Circle?"

"Um... no?"

"Of course it is! My mum loved them! She taught me all about them! Are you going to go looking for Voldemort? Can I come? I always wanted to travel in one! Let's go!" With that, she joined Harry and Ron in the circle.

"We've got a fourth." Ron shrugged. Hermione sighed, and entered the circle. Facing each other, they all took out the wands and held hands. Lifting their arms into the air, they yelled the spell.

The circle began to glow magenta, and a gentle wind swooped out of nowhere.

Harry started out thinking about the horcrux, but his mind wandered to the subject of Voldemort himself. He remembered when he had faced him in his fourth year. He remembered the Death Eaters, all in a circle, surrounding him. They were all in their black uniforms, and all sneered at him. Harry wandered if that was going to happen again.

Luna's arrival reminded Ron of the fact that he'd had nothing to eat since dawn. He mentally kicked himself when he realized that it was the day of Bill and Fleur's wedding. It was a beautiful day, and a nice, big lunch out in the bright sunshine was just what Ron needed. Ron's stomach rumbled as he imagined all the good things his mother must've prepared. Not that it mattered that much. Ron was so hungry he could eat a dog!

The wind strengthened, turning into a small tornado exclusive to the circle. Their sight of anything else but each other was obstructed. Hermione felt like her arms were going to rip off. She wandered if they'd done the spell right. What if they hadn't? What if they were dismembered because they hadn't? With a nasty feeling, Hermione imagined her arm and leg ripping away from her and swirling into the eye of the storm. She shuddered even more, picturing herself with prosthetics, facing the mangled bodies of her friends, heaped in the middle of the circle.

Luna was thinking of the dancing armour Mr. Weasley had hired. Fred and George had set them fighting against each other when Mrs. Weasley sent her inside to fetch the Golden Trio.

It was the nature of the spell to put together the thoughts of all the castors and send them to a place that as closely matched all of it as possible. There was only one placed that matched Ron, Harry, Hermione and Luna's thoughts. Of course, it was a place in another world. A world usually only accessible by a certain gate...


	2. Chapter 2

"And in this corner, we have the Fullmetal Alchemist! Edward Elric!" a microphoned voice announced loudly.

"Where are we?" Luna asked, dusting herself off.

"I don't have a good feeling about this…" Ron muttered.

It was a bright, beautiful day, not unlike the one they had just left behind. They stood outdoors, a few feet away a bunch of adults clad in blue military uniforms. There were hundreds of people dressed liked them, forming a ring around… well, something that seemed to be interesting.

"We should go and see what's going on." Hermione said.

Suddenly, there was a huge explosion.

"Or stay away…" Ron whimpered.

"Come on, fearless." Hermione grabbed Ron by the collar and dragged him in through the crowd. Harry and Luna followed suit.

"Excuse me, pardon me." Harry said as he bumped into the blue uniforms. Hermione and Ron shoved aggressively right through the crowd. They could see a tall dark-haired man standing in what looked like an arena, and in one hand, he held... _a wand_. He seemed to be muttering incantations, and when he snapped the fingers of his other hand, he produced explosions. They had reached the edge of the arena when Ron crashed headfirst into a small blonde boy wearing a red jacket, pushing to get to the opposite direction. There was a large and very distinct exchange of swearwords. They had started to hit each other, and Ron had to be held back by Hermione and Harry. The small blonde boy was restrained by something that looked like a walking, talking piece of armour carrying a cat.

"Colonel Roy Mustang, coming through! What's going on?" The tall man pushed through the crowd. He surveyed the new arrivals, and his eyes practically popped out of his head. He regained his composure within seconds, though, and was them, "Who are you? Why are you here?"

"This is really, really bad." Hermione slapped her forehead.

"So you see, we made a horrible, horrible mistake." Hermione explained. The Golden Trio + Luna were sitting in Roy Mustang's office. The small blonde boy and his armour-wearing friend were there as well, sitting across from them. A blonde woman who introduced herself as Riza Hawkeye sat between the blonde boy and Roy. Her dog, a black and white puppy, stood obediently at her feet. Hermione had finished summarizing their situation.

"Are you wizards?" Ron burst out.

"Excuse me?" Roy raised an eyebrow.

"Well, we saw you create explosions and you've got a wand… you can't be a muggle, can you?"

"That was alchemy." Riza Hawkeye proceeded to explain everything about alchemy and their world.

They listened patiently and amazed. Hermione pulled out a notebook and pen, and began taking notes. When Riza finished, Hermione explained about magic. Harry joined in as well, and told them about the Ministry of Magic, Quidditch, and even… Voldemort. Those people struck The Golden Trio as trustworthy. Harry explained about his last encounter with the Death Eaters, the prophecy, the Triwizard Tournament, Dementors and horcruxes. Throughout the whole retelling, Riza, Armour and even Small Blonde Boy seemed awed and impressed. Luna noticed that Roy, however, sat there looking almost bored. He only seemed to pay attention at the mentions of Voldemort and the prophecy. He occasionally drank out of a small, opaque flask he had stored in his jacket pocket. Harry wasn't looking at the Colonel, and eventually reached the subject of something he encountered in his first year called...

"The Philosopher's Stone!" the small blonde boy burst out. "You got the Philosopher's Stone! Where is it!"

"It was destroyed." Hermione squeaked, startled.

"WHAT!" the boy cried, jumping up and slamming his palms down on the table. He seemed to have performed alchemy without meaning to, because the table completely shattered. Ron, who had his elbow placed upon the surface, fell over. He cursed loudly, rising and rushing over to the other boy.

"What'd you that for!" Ron screamed at the smaller boy.

"Get your ugly, smelly face away from mine!" the boy yelled back.

"Don't tell me what to do, pipsqueak!" Ron screamed.

"Who are you calling a bug so small you can't see him without a microscope!" the blonde boy screeched.

"You!" Ron announced, and they started to fight. Harry, Hermione and the man in the armour attempted to separate them. A while and few spells later, they were finally pulled apart. Ron had managed to yank off the blonde boy's red jacket. The Golden Trio and Luna gasped. The boy's left arm was normal, but his right one was a prosthetic.

"Why don't you tell them why you want the Stone, Ed?" Riza suggested.

"I don't want to."

"I will," the man in the armour volunteered. He turned to the Golden Trio + Luna." My name's Alphonse Elric, and this is my big brother Edward."

"Big brother!" Hermione, Harry and Ron yelped.

"Wanna make something of it!" Ed glared at them.

"But then… how old are you!" Hermione squeaked.

"He's 15 and I'm 14," said Al.

"Blimey! They _are_ getting smaller!" Ron's eyes bugged out of his head.

Al restrained Ed as he attempted to attack Ron again. Alphonse went on to explain everything that had happened. The Golden Trio was properly shocked, and even Luna appeared to be paying attention.

"So that's why we want the Philosopher's Stone," concluded Al.

"Well, I'm really sorry, Alphonse," said Harry, "but it's been destroyed. The only person that ever succeeded in making it is dead."

"Actually…" Hermione blushed.

"What?" everyone turned to her.

"Before we left, I sneaked into Snape's room, and stumbled across a secret room. It seems he was trying to make the Philosopher's Stone. He had books and notes about it everywhere, and there were some experiments and ingredients." Hermione said. Harry and Ron's mouths dropped right open. Luna noticed that a shadow passed Roy's face. "I doubt he succeeded, but..."

"Let's go!" Ed shouted.

"Wha-?" said Hermione.

"You're going to help us find the Philosopher's Stone!" Ed proclaimed. "You don't mind, do you, Mustang? It's not like we've got any assignments."

"Well, I suppose you can go…" Roy drained the last of the fluid from his flask. "Hawkeye, you'd better go with them."

"But, I…" Riza stuttered.

"Yes. You will depart tomorrow." Roy looked at Ed, Al and Riza sternly. "This is your new assignment."

"The Circle of Transportation." Roy looked down at the large circle the Golden Trio had drawn on the ground in the courtyard. "Yes. The only other way to travel between the two worlds, besides the gate. There's only one crucial ingredient lacking here..."

"Magic." Hermione nodded. "Come on, everyone."

Hermione, Ron, Harry, Luna, Ed, Al, Riza and Black Hayate (the dog) all stepped into the circle and faced each other. They stood in an alternating pattern of muggle-wizard-muggle.

"He's a snake-like man." Hermione reminded everyone.

"Really, really ugly." Ron added.

"Red eyes and slits for a nose," said Harry.

"Yeah, yeah, we get it." Ed, placed between Luna and Harry, rolled his eyes. "Let's go!"

Everyone raised their arms in the air. The ones that were capable of magic shouted the spell, and the glowing and wind started up again. Everyone thought of Voldemort as hard as they could, but of course, only three of them got it right. Luna's mind wandered off to that new book she'd read about ninjas, Black Hayate wandered about dinner (he hoped it'd be barbecued chicken, like last night's) and Riza, Ed and Al's depiction of Tom Riddle more closely resembled our favourite villainous Sannin…

* * *

**Note: **I know Roy Mustang doesn't use a wand. If you read on, you'll know what that's all about.


	3. Chapter 3

"No! Stay away from Sasuke!" a pink haired girl screamed.

"Owww…" Harry sat up, rubbing his head. He turned around to check on his companions. Luna seemed unfazed. Black Hayate was on his feet, surveying his new surroundings suspiciously. Riza looked around with a facial expression similar to her dog's, cradling one of the many guns she had brought with her. Everyone else was nowhere to be seen.

"What the-?" a guy wearing a huge fur boa with most of his face wrapped up in bandages was charging towards their direction. With the blink of an eye, Luna cast a shielding charm around them. The guy, traveling as fast as lightening crashed off and fell backwards.

Harry could see that he and his companions were in a large forest. They stood between a bunch of kids who seemed to be fighting. From the direction of the bandages-guy were a boy with bushy black hair and a girl with really long hair who were dressed in the same colours as he, both shocked at their teammate's fall. There were more people on the other side. There was a pink-haired girl protecting two boys that were resting; a blonde boy dressed in an orange jumpsuit and a dark-haired boy that had an evil aura about him. A blonde girl wearing purple leaned limply against a boy with spiky black hair and a pissed-off expression on his face. A plump boy with brown hair stood beside them. A boy with massive eyebrows dressed in a green spandex jumpsuit lay unconscious at the feet of the pinkhair. A boy with creepy white eyes and long black hair and a girl with her hair tied up in buns and wearing a pink shirt stood on a branch of a tree high up over them. They all wore headbands with symbols on them. Bandages-guy, Bushy hair and Long hair all had a music note engraved on theirs. Everyone else wore a swirly leaf. All of them were injured and covered in filth, except for the boy and girl in the tree.

"Good afternoon." Luna greeted them.

"Er…" Harry looked around, wondering if he should hit all of them with a spell.

Riza held her gun in front of her, glaring at everyone.

Suddenly, the dark-haired boy with the evil aura stood up. There were weird purple markings creeping all over his body. Everyone's attention was taken off of Harry, Luna, Riza and Black Hayate. Every could sense the evil he reeked of.

"Sasuke! Are you okay?" the pinkhair asked.

"Sakura." he glanced at her, then turned to the kids wearing the music note headbands.

"Well, well. Look who woke up." Bandages smirked. Bushy Hair cackled as well, but Long Hair looked frightened.

"Ino! Come back!" the spiky-haired boy holding the blonde girl called to the girl with really long hair. Long Hair nodded, and a moment later, the blonde girl regained consciousness. Long Hair slumped to the ground in a dead faint.

Bandages and Bushy Hair started towards Sasuke. Sasuke smirked, and walked towards them as well. Our heroes Harry, Luna, Black Haitian Riza took that opportune moment to notice they were caught in right the middle. Bandages, Bushy Hair and Sasuke took no notice of them, but they had a crazy look in their eyes that our heroes did not like. And they were coming closer and closer-

"_Expelliarmus!_" Harry and Luna screamed, sending the spell flying in both directions. Bandages, Bushy Hair and Sasuke flew backwards to the directions they came from. A scroll flew out of Bandages' hand, and Riza caught it. The force of the spell seemed to bring Sasuke out of a trance. The marks on his body began to recede until they were all gone. He stood up, looking around in surprise.

Harry, Luna and Riza pointed their wand/gun at the music notes.

"Scram!" Riza commanded. Bandages and Bushy Hair gathered up their teammate and meekly walked away.

A sense of silence settled, slowly turning into peace.

"Wow," said Sakura.

"Waaa! Sakura-Chan's in danger! I gotta protect her!" the boy in the orange jumpsuit finally woke up. He jumped up, and looked around. "Hey, why're you all here?" he looked over at Harry, Luna, Riza and B.H. "Who are you? Are you in the exam too? Where're you from? I'm gonna beat you!"

"I'm sure you will." Riza rolled her eyes, tossing him the scroll. "Come on, Harry, Luna. Let's go find the others." She gathered up B.H.'s leash and started away. Harry and Luna followed.

"Wait."

They turned. It was the boy with white eyes. Quick as a flash, he and the girl jumped down from the tree and in front of them.

"Neji Hyuga," he introduced himself.

"And I'm Tenten," the girl added. "That's our teammate, Rock Lee" She pointed to Bushy Brows.

Everybody else made introductions.

"I didn't see you in the written exam." Neji commented. "Where are you from? Why are you here? Did you say there are more of you?"

"Hogwarts, a slight mishap, yes." Harry replied. "Where exactly is 'here'?"

"Konoha, the village hidden in leaves. We're in the forest of death." Neji seemed amused that they did not know this. "I look forward to meeting you again."

He and Tenten went and gathered Lee. Throwing one arm over each shoulder, they pulled him up. Neji, Lee and Tenten departed, moving so fast they were no longer visible after mere seconds.

"Where's everyone headed?" asked Riza.

"To the tower in the middle of the forest," said Sasuke. "We're doing an exam. I don't know why you're here, and whether I can trust you, but I will tell you this. If you know what's good for you, you'll get out of here as fast as you can. Not everybody in this forest is as friendly as us."

"The tower in the middle of the forest…" pondered Luna. "Can you describe it to us?"

"How are we supposed to know?" demanded Shikamaru.

"You'll probably know it when you see it," shrugged Chouji. "You wouldn't happen to have food on you, would you?"

"D'you think that's good enough evidence, Harry?" asked Luna.

"It's as good a place as any to start," answered Harry, catching on to what she was thinking. "But do you know how to Apparate yet?"

"My father believes that if I want to learn something, the Ministry of Magic shouldn't stop me." Luna commented. "I've been able to do it perfectly since I was twelve."

"If you're sure." Harry picked up B.H. and tucked him under his arm. He offered the crook of his other arm to Riza, and Luna did the same. Riza linked arms with them, puzzled.

"The tower in the middle of the forest." Harry said to his new acquaintances. "We'll see you, then."

"Travel safe." Luna told them, and with a _crack_ they disappeared.

* * *

**Note:** Just so you know, B.H. stands for Black Hayate. But I'm sure you've already figured it out.


	4. Chapter 4

**Note:** I realize that Riza didn't become Black Hayate's owner until later. But, to keep this story short and sweet, let's just pretend she took him in the moment she saw him (coz he's so adorable :P)

* * *

"Sabakusôsô! Imploding sand funeral!"

_Splat._ Ron, Hermione, Ed and Al had arrived at their destination. Their welcome was not very hospitable. They had chosen the wrong time to appear at the wrong place, and now they were covered in blood and guts.

"Ewwww! Nasty!" Ron screeched. He _scourgified_ the gore off himself. Ed swore so loudly and colourfully I'd have to up the rating if I included it.

"Everyone, watch your step!" Hermione cautioned, drying herself off as well. "It must be a trap!"

She sprung to her feet, and turned 360° to check where they were. They were standing in the middle of a forest dense with trees. They were not along. Three children a few years younger than Hermione and Ron stood a few meters away with them. The only girl of the group had spiky blonde hair, and carried a huge fan on her back. The taller boy had a lot of purple face painting, and he wore a black costume that included a hood with little cat ears. He carried something on his back that was wrapped in bandages. The smallest member of the group was also the scariest. He had red hair and his green eyes were lined with black. He carried a humongous gourd ¾ his size on his back. He stood with his palms outstretched, and a look of bloodlust on his face. It could not be anymore obvious that he was the cause of the blood and gore. All three had headbands with an hourglass-like symbol on it (although only Face Paint was wearing it on his head).

"&?#&!&!" Ed finished swearing, and proceeded to dry himself using alchemy. He dried off his brother as well, and turned towards the three strangers. "Hey, you! Where are we!"

The strangers said nothing. The redhead gazed the group, the murderous look in his eye surpassing even Voldemort's abilities. He turned his palms toward them. His companions looked utterly terrified.

"Gaara! No!" Blondie yelled. "They've got nothing to do with us!"

"We're done with the mission, so let's go!" Face Paint added.

"Kankurou. Temari." Gaara sneered. "I don't answer to you. We're connected by blood, but that won't discourage me from killing you as well."

"Gaara!" the blonde girl, Temari, reached out to stop him. Grains of sand flowed around him, solidifying and forming a shield. Gaara glared at his sister, and turned back to the group.

"Think we ought to do something?" Ron suggested.

"Good idea!" Ed performed a quick bit of alchemy, turning the forest floor near the siblings into cage-like bars, enclosing them. Hermione and Ron pulled out their wands and executed a restraining spell on the redhead.

"Stay away, you mascara-wearing freak!" Ed commanded.

A change seemed to come over Gaara. He seemed to turn, well… less bloodthirsty. Sand came together in his hand and formed a cork. He stuck it into the gourd on his back, and dropped his arms to his sides.

"Let's go," he told his siblings.

"You can let us out now!" Kankurou of the Face Paint told the group.

"How do we know we can trust you?" Hermione called.

"If you let us out, we won't kill you!" he called back.

"Yeah, right. Something tells me I've got a better chance of killing you than the other way around." Ed cracked his knuckles.

"Let us out, pipsqueak!" Kankurou commanded.

"Who are you calling a shrimp so puny you can't even chew it because it'd get stuck between your teeth if you tried!" Ed yelled.

"I never said that! Let us out, shorty!" Kankurou yelled back.

"That's it! Now I'm never letting you out! You loser that's so ugly you have to keep your face covered in makeup!"

"Never say never pipsqueak! And just so you know, these markings are decorative!"

And so they went on, back and forth, back and forth. Temari, Al, Hermione and Ron sighed and sweatdropped. Gaara watched patiently, but finally decided to have his say.

"Let us out." Gaara requested (and by 'requested' I mean gave them his evilest glare that communicated very well he was going to give them all a _very_ painful death if they didn't listen).

"No! You said I was short! Take it back!"

"Let us out." Again with the glare. Al decided to be the bigger person and granted Gaara's wish.

"We'll see you at the tower!" Temari called back as she and her brothers bounded away.

"Oh no!" Hermione suddenly gasped. "Am I the only one that's noticed? There are only half of us than when we left!"

"What tower?" Ron wanted to know (obviously, he hasn't noticed).

"There final destination for this exam, of course." A boy walked out from some bushes he was hiding behind. Two more people followed him.

All three had headbands with a swirly leaf on them. There were around Gaara's age (although still taller than Ed :P). The boy that spoke had doggy eyes, fangs and wore a huge furry grey jacket. A small, white dog was hiding in it, peeking out at them. The other male member of the team had the high collar of his white jacket hiding the lower half of his face and a pair of sunglasses covering his eyes. His hair was bushy and black. The only girl had short, indigo hair, creepy white eyes and was blushing.

"Kiba Inuzuka! And these are my teammates Akamaru, Shino Aburame and Hinata Hyuga!" he grinned good-naturedly at them.

"Arf!" said Akamaru.

"…" said Shino.

"Um, hi." Hinata blushed even more and turned away.

The group introduced themselves.

"What you did back there was pretty cool!" Kiba complimented them. "You're ninjas, too, right? Where are you from? Is this your special weapon?" he pointed at Al. "What does it do? Is it a robot?"

" 'Robot'?" Al repeated, his face falling and jaw dropping right open.

"No, we're not ninjas, we- well, me and Ron, anyway- are wizards from Hogwarts, and... well, Al's a person." Hermione explained. "We were transported here by accident, and we'd appreciate some help."

"How do we know we can trust you?" Shino stared at them.

"Yeah... you did beat those creepy Sand Ninjas pretty easily. How do we know you're not trying to steal our scrolls?" Kiba turned from friendly to suspicious.

Akamaru jumped out of Kiba's jacket and started to sniff Hermione & co. He then reported back to Kiba.

"No, Akamaru says they're okay." Kiba assured his group. "Well, what are you doing here?"

"It was an accident." Hermione repeated. "_Someone _probably thought of _other _things during the spell and transported all of us to the middle of nowhere!" She glared at Ed, Al and Ron.

"Well, we can take you to the tower, where the exam officials can probably help you." Kiba offered. "But you have to promise to use your special ninjutsu to protect us on the way."

"Okay," Ed agreed. "You help us, we help you. It's a deal."

"Great! We're a team!" Kiba high-fived Ed and Ron. "Bring your robot and let's go!"

"I'm not a robot…" Al looked at his tin body.

"Not really winning that argument right now, mate." Ron patted him on the arm.


	5. Chapter 5

Team Gai entered the tower. Neji Hyuga activated his Byakugan and surveyed the entrance hall suspiciously. Tenten supported Lee, who was much better, but still hurt. Neji caught sight of four figures hunched in a corner.

"Harry Potter," he acknowledged.

Harry put his finger to his lips. He had cast a disillusionment charm (the one at the beginning of Book 5 that Moody uses) on all of them, and they had been there for nearly twenty minutes without anyone noticing. It apparently did not work on Neji, though.

"Yes! We're here!" another team bounded into the tower. It was Kiba, Shino, Ed and Hinata. Al followed shortly after, carrying Hermione on his back.

Neji saw them, and gave a sneer surpassing Slytherin. "So you're alive. Hinata-sama."

Hinata paled, and looked down at her feet. "Ohayô, Neji-Nii-San."

"I'm… here. Thanks… for waiting… you… gits." Ron finally caught up with his friends.

"Hey, Ron." Kiba greeted. "You're really slow!"

Ron glowered. They had spent the last 16 hours trekking on endlessly. They'd only stopped once, to camp for the night at Hermione's suggestion. Kiba, the self-proclaimed leader, had taken a liking to her. He had treated her like loyalty, including but not limited to commanding the "talking robot" to be her steed. Ed had insisted on fighting every ninja they came across because they all insulted his height. As a result, they had all lost their scrolls and/or a few limbs and organs. Consequently, Ed and Kiba were very chipper, the cause of their happy mood being the sackfull of scrolls Ed carried. (He transmuted the sack from a bunch of leaves, btw).

"Hermione! Ron! You're here!" a voice from the corner called. The disillusionment charm was lifted, and the Golden Trio reunited.

"I'm so happy we're all here!" Hermione had leaped forward and hugged everyone, including Riza and B.H.

Meanwhile, Team Gai and Kurenai had figured out the scroll on the wall and summoned up a brown-haired man with a scar on his nose and a black-haired woman wearing a white coat.

"Congratulations on passing the second exam!" the man beamed at them.

"But who are you?" the woman turned to our reunited heroes.

"Oh, they're friends." Kiba told her.

"We can't be sure of that," the woman said. "You six go with Iruka Umino. You seven. Come with me."

* * *

"So you see? It's all a big, huge mistake." Hermione explained to the old man in the white hat. He was the Hokage, the leader of Konoha.

They were in what looked like the surveillance room of the tower. There were monitors all over the room. Hermione had told their tale to the Hokage, but changed a few details to make it seem like they used the spell just for the heck of it. She also made it sound like Ed, Al, Riza and B.H. had been with them all along. The dark-haired woman, Anko Mitarashi, had been alongside the Hokage the whole time. Five or six Jounin had entered the room part way into her story, and stopped to listen. One of them, a sickly man with bags under his eyes, had been coughing the whole time, which annoyed Ed and Ron quite a bit.

"So you're from a place called England and you drew a big circle to see if you can teleport? And you just randomly got here?_ Here_, in the _forest of death? Now of all times_, during the _exam?"_ Hokage repeated sceptically. "It all seems rather hard to believe."

"You've got 'spy' written all over you," Anko added.

"The story's true!" Ed had kept silent until then, realizing that Hermione had his and Al's best interests in mind, too. "Why else would we barge into your dumb little test? _Which_ we passed, by the way!" he threw his sackfull of scrolls at her. Anko caught it, and started looking through it.

"Well, even if it is true…" said the Hokage. He turned to Riza. "You! You look like you're at least eighteen! Why didn't you stop them? You should be the _responsible adult_. You should know better than to let teenagers mess around with this dangerous _'magic alchemy'_! You should have been paying attention to _them_ instead of… playing with your little dog!"

There was silence as Hermione struggled to think of an excuse. Riza glared at him with a look that said 'If we weren't surrounded by Konoha's best ninja, you'd be dead!' The man with the circles under his eyes coughed very loudly.

"It so happens that we had already cast the spell when Riza and Black Hayate entered the room. She realized what we did right away, and tried to counter the spell. But it was too late, and we were all sucked in." Luna calmly lied. Her friends looked at her in surprise. She glanced over at the coughing man. "Perhaps you would like some cough medicine." Luna conjured a mug with the liquid inside, and floated it over to the man. She set it tapping against his head (like Dumbledore did in the 6th book) until he took it. The man eyed it suspiciously, and after a show of sniffing it and other tests, decided it was safe to drink.

"Hokage Sir!" Anko exclaimed.

"What is it, Anko?"

"The exam is over!" Anko held up Ed's scrolls. "Seven teams have made it back so far, so that means 14 scrolls. These people have 11 scrolls."

Everyone in the room did some quick mental math.

"25 scrolls," nodded the Hokage. "I suppose we should go and meet the contestants." He hot up to leave.

"What about us!" Ed yelled.

"You've passed the second exam." Hokage said. "That means you can fight in the preliminaries for the third. Except you," he pointed at Riza. "It would be an unfair fight, as you are much older than all your opponents. But the rest of you, give your names to Anko and Hayate Gekko. They will bring you to the test." With that, he and the other Jounin left.

"Okay. You start," Hayate the Ninja with the Chronic Cough (not to be confused with Black Hayate, the dog) pointed at Ed. Anko walked over to a computer, and set it up to enter their names. When they were done, Hayate and Anko escorted them out.

"I'm pleased to announce that we have some new entrants for this stage of the exam." Hokage was telling his students when they entered the room.

Twenty-one teenagers were gathered in a gym-like place with railings around it and a sculpture of arms doing a ninja-signal on one end. They all turned to see the people who entered. They already knew most of the kids. Kiba and Naruto yelled and waved enthusiastically, and Ed, Kiba's new best friend, waved enthusiastically back. Hinata, Ino and Sakura also waved while Neji and Sasuke smiled coldly at them. Shikamaru, Chouji and Shino sort of ignored them. They were either **a) **thinking about how troublesome the exam was **b)** thinking about FOOD or **c) **standing there looking… creepy. Tenten pointed out Harry, Luna and Riza to Lee, who decided he wanted Luna to be his new girlfriend. Their reception wasn't all friendly. The Sand and Sound Nins gave them glares that could kill.

Our Heroes (aka Team Riza) then noticed how different they looked from everyone else. Everyone in the gym was, of course, dressed in ninja wear. The Sandnins and Otonin were obviously dressed a little different than the Konoha people, but not as different as Team Riza. Harry, Hermione and Ron were all wearing jeans, T-shirts and running shoes under casual black robes. Ed and Al were in the usual getup, and Riza was wearing her blue army uniform. However, none of them looked as out of place as Luna. She wore tie-dyed robes over a neon green sundress, _huge _platform flip-flops, and various accessories that earned her the nickname "Loony Lovegood". Everyone started to feel slightly out of place, except for Luna and Black Hayate, who was having the time of his young life.

"I see most of you have already met. They are from a land faraway called England, and will not be fighting with any of the jutsus. Instead, they will be using 'magic alchemy'. I daresay it is just as effective as ninjustsu, genjustsu or taijutsu, as most of you have experienced fist hand." Hokage told everyone. "They already know the rules of the preliminaries, and so do you. Does anyone wish to withdraw?"

A silver-haired boy with glasses raised his hand. Naruto looked shocked, while Sasuke glared at him suspiciously from the corner of his eye.

"Kabuto Yakushi of Konoha?" Hayate consulted his clipboard, and made a note. "Okay you can go."

Kabuto apologized to Naruto, and left them arena.

"Anyone else?" asked Hayate (yes, Luna's medicine is working wonders already :P).

Ron started to raise his hand. Quick as a flash, Hermione reached out and dragged it back down.

"Ron, we have to stay together," she hissed, still holding his hand. "We can't be separated."

"But Hermione…" Ron looked close to tears. Standing in a big circle he'd drawn seemed just fine, but now the danger was all too real.

"I know you'll do terrific." Hermione patted him on the shoulder with her other hand. "You fought all those Death Eaters last year and the year before, remember?"

"You can do it, Ron." Harry encouraged his friend.

"Anyone else? This is your last chance! Going once, going twice…" Anko announced.

Ron sniffed. Hermione gripped his hand harder. He smiled at her.

"Gone." Anko finished. "Now, if you'll turn your attention to the screen…"

A huge monitor lowered onto the wall. Everyone turned towards it, and letters started to flash by madly.

"And your first match is … Misumi Tsurugi versus Alphonse Elric."

* * *

**Note:** Riza Hawkeye is 25 years old.

**Things to look forward to in Chapter Six: **Al learns a new skill, Neji discovers a secret and Tenten shows off her talents.


	6. Chapter 6

"Yeah! Go Al! Kick his ass!" Ed yelled from the balcony.

"Make us proud!" beside him, Riza cheered her 'student' on.

"Go Elric!" Kiba stood on Ed's other side, now fully aware that Al was a human. Akamaru and Black Hayate were near him, making friends.

"I hope you make this match interesting, Metal Boy." Misumi Tsurugi was a young man wearing glasses, a bandanna and a black mask covering the lower part of his face. He talked to Al in a way that conveyed his high opinion of himself.

"I'll try my best." Al bowed politely.

Out of habit, Hayate coughed to get their attention. "Okay. The battle starts… now!"

Without a pause, Misumi did his rubber act and had wound himself tightly against Al's body. He then went into a long, _long_ speech about how his body could fit anywhere, why he was better than Al, and bla bla bla, etc, etc.

"Well? Ready to surrender yet, Metal Boy?" Misumi squeezed tighter.

"No," replied Al, who obviously couldn't feel pain. "You're wasting your energy, you know."

"Go Al!" Harry, Hermione and Kiba were now cheering. On the other side of the arena, Master Gai's team was watching the match. Neji Hyuga had turned on his Byakugan, and made a startling discovery.

"Hey, Tenten." He elbowed his teammate.

"What is it, Neji?" Tenten asked.

"That Metal Kid. There's nothing inside of him." Neji pointed at Al. "No body, not even organs. He's just an empty shell."

"Don't be ridiculous," Tenten laughed. "How else do you think he can move around?"

"I'm dead serious! He's all metal and Chakra." Neji observed. "I bet his little friends did some illegal experiment, and got deported here."

"Maybe." Tenten shrugged. "I was hoping the first battle would be a bit more intense."

"His Chakra's different from ours. He doesn't have the proper system to convert it to taijutsu, ninjutsu or genjutsu." Neji was still staring intently at Al. "But he sure has a lot of it. At least four times his opponent's."

"Really? You'd think he'd be able to make this more interesting." Tenten.

A distance away, Naruto seemed to be thinking the same thing. He cupped his hands to his mouth and yelled "Hurry up!"

Unfortunately for him, Misumi decided to follow his advise. He did the regrettable action of constricting tighter. It didn't cause Al any pain, but brought his hands together. He clapped.

_BAM!_ There was a flash of bright blue light. Misumi was thrown off Alphonse, every single bone broken (except for the teeny tiny bones like the ones in his hand). He was covered with slashes, and there wasn't an inch of him that _wasn__'t_ bleeding.

"Winner… Alphonse Elric." Hayate announced. Medic Ninjas came in and carted Misumi out. Al bowed politely, and rejoined his friends.

"That was brilliant!" Harry cheered.

"Good job!" Kiba complimented him. Akamaru and Black Hayate also barked their praise.

"You did great, mate!" Ron forgot his own nervousness to congratulate his friend.

"Hell yeah!" Ed yelled, clapping his brother on the back.

"Big brother? Did I just transmute without a circle?" Alphonse asked uncertainly.

"Yeah! You did!" Ed grinned proudly. He announced to Riza, "My little brother can transmute without a circle!"

"Good to see our assignment's not _all_ useless." Riza remarked dryly, still a little sore at being insulted by the Hokage earlier.

"I wonder if the rest of them are that good?" Tenten asked Neji on the other side of the gym.

"Whoa. That blast used up most of his Chakra, but it's regenerating already." Neji replied. "He's strong."

Hayate coughed again. "Right. Well, your next match is…" Everyone turned to the monitor. It read…

"Luna Lovegood vs. Yoroi Akadō"

"Hey, it's another one. Check her stats." Tenten urged Neji.

Luna Apparated down to the arena. Her opponent, a young man who looked like Misumi with sunglasses, jumped down. They both looked coolly ruffled. They faced each other, and bowed.

"Good luck." Luna told him.

"Begin!" announced Hayate.

Yoroi Akadō leaped towards Luna. She hit him with the Jelly-Legs jinx, and stepped aside. Yoroi crashed into the ground where Luna was. As he tried to get up, Luna hit him with the Bat-Bogey hex.

"Her Chakra's different from ours, but different from Alphonse's, too. She can't do any of the Jutsus either." Neji told Tenten. "That 'magic alchemy' used up some of her Chakra, but it's regenerating, like Alphonse's did. She has a lot, too. Double Alphonse's amount."

"What about the rest?"

Neji turned to the group gathered on the other side of the gym. "Let's see. The people in the black robes have the same type and amount of Chakra as Luna. The instructor and small kid both have the same type of Chakra as Alphonse. The short kid's got a little more, and the instructor a little less."

Meanwhile, in the battlefield, Yoroi wasn't having much luck. He had underestimated Luna Lovegood, like so many others had done before him. The Jelly-Legs jinx had been lifted, and he finally got up. He started to run towards Luna.

"You are so dead…"

"_Levicorpus!_" Luna yelled. Yoroi was jerked up ankle-first. Luna moved her wand, lifting him higher and higher, until he was touching the ceiling.

"_Finite Incantatem!_" Luna lifted the spell, and Yoroi started to fall. That was no problem. A competent ninja always lands on their feet. Unless they couldn't move.

"_Petrificus Totalus!_" The force of impact nearly split Yoroi's skull open. He lay on the ground, an unconscious heap. Hayate walked over.

"Winner… Luna Lovegood," he announced.

"Yeah!" Team Riza broke out in applause.

"Go Luna! You're awesome! You showed him!" Lee cheered right along. "Be my girlfriend!"

Neji turned to glare at Lee for being so embarrassing. His Byakugan was still turned on, and he happened to catch a glimpse of the green-clad man standing between them. But what he saw was not Maito Gai. It was a short, balding, snivelling man with watery eyes wearing the appearance of Gai. Neji closed his eyes and shook his head to clear it. When he looked again, the rat-like man was still there. He glanced at Neji nervously, sniffling in an un-Gai-like manner.

Neji then looked around the gym, and gasped. The other Konoha instructors were also missing. In Kakashi's place was a girly man with long blonde hair, in Kurenai's place was a pale woman with dark hair, and in Asuma's place was a grim black-haired man. He opened his mouth to warn Tenten.

"Tenten!" he jabbed his friend in the ribs. "There's a man impersonating Gai-sensei!"

"You're crazy." Tenten jabbed him back, not turning away from the arena. "Look, they're displaying the next match. Ron Weasley against… me?"

"You can do it, Ron," on the other side Hermione comforted her friend, taking his bag.

"If you lose, Tenten, you're a disgrace to Konoha." Neji encouraged his friend.

Ron and Tenten both went down to the arena. Ron giggled nervously. Tenten glared at him, her weapons at the ready.

"Start!"

Ron proceeded to throw some dungbombs that he had in his pockets. He ran away, screaming spells and getting them all twisted up. Tenten kept her cool and used her Kuchiyose no Jutsu (the weapons summoning technique). Ron did a shield charm that… actually worked! Weapons went flying in all directions, and everyone had to duck.

A shuriken headed towards Maito Gai. By pure instinct, he pulled out a long, thing stick out, and yelled out "_Protego!_"

The shuriken bounced away. Everyone in the gym stared at him.

"Heheh…" 'Gai' squealed in a very un-Gai-like manner.

"_Specialis Revelio!_" three spells from the other side of the room hit him square in the chest. Now everybody could see what Neji saw… Peter Pettigrew.

"Oh, great! Thanks a lot!" Kurenai yelled. "Give it all away! Useless vermin!"

"Only one thing to do! Let's leave!" squealed Peter. He, Kurenai, Asuma and Kakashi made ready to exit.

"I don't think so!" Tenten yelled. Within seconds, she had pinned all of them to the wall by their collars with kunai. The Golden Trio + Luna hit by Anti-Disapparation charms, and hung there, hopeless. Al approached them one by one and flung them off the balcony to the center of the arena. Team Riza approached them, and Harry cast the rope spell on them, tying them together. The revealing charm was used again, to reveal expose Lucius Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange and Rudolphus Lestrange.

"Who are you?" "What are you doing here?" "What did you do to Gai-sensei?" "When was the last time you had a hair cut?" and other questions of the sort could be heard, as the rest of the gym finally comprehended the situation.

"_Sonorus!_" Hermione said, "Will everyone please quiet down? Your questions will be answered in a second. _Quietus._" She started rummaging through her backpack, pulling out various odds and ends that could usually be found in the potion's classroom.

"Er, Hermione? Exactly how much stuff did you 'borrow' from Snape?" asked Harry.

"Just enough. Here we go," she held a bottle filled with clear liquid. Hermione approached Pettigrew. "Open wide!" she said, forcing the liquid down his throat. She did the same to the other Death Eaters. "All right. Let's see… how were you able to impersonate them?"

"With the help of Lord Voldemort's new ally," Bellatrix smirked. "Some of you may already know him. His name's Orochimaru, from the land of Sound. We were sent as backup. He and his other supporters escaped while we distracted you."

The entire assembly gasped. They turned to check, and, surely enough, the Otonin were no longer there.

"Where are they! Where's Gai-sensei!" Lee burst out.

"Dog-brow is currently locked up in the Chamber of Secrets. Grey-hair took my place in Azkaban. It was amazingly easy, with the Dementors gone." Lucius laughed. "Red-eyes and Smoker were sent to another dimension, to our _other_ new ally- King Bradly."

Collective gasps came from Ed, Al and Riza while the others looked on blankly.

"One last question." Luna spoke. "Where is Severus Snape?"

"Oh, he's impersonating a man named Roy Mustang!" Bellatrix laughed. "The real one came with us, to this world! Orochimaru sort of dumped him somewhere. Don't know where, you'll have to ask him!"

Now The Golden Trio and Luna also comprehended. Riza walked up and struck Bellatrix across the face with her gun.

"It's clear what we have to do!" Lee announced "Rescue mission!"

"Yes. You must go to the other worlds to save your teachers," the Hokage nodded. Shikamaru groaned. "I am changing the exam. If you succeed, you'll be promoted to Chuunin."

* * *

"Okay. It's all set." They were in the actual village now. Hermione looked mightily pleased with herself. She held a sandal, one blue and one black, in each hand. "It'll leave in three minutes. All you have to do is make sure you're touching some part of the shoe." The sandals were, of course, portkeys. She handed the blue one Neji Hyuga, and the other to Harry.

"Everyone who's going to England go to the blue sandal. Everyone who's going to East City go to the black one. _Make sure you__'re touching the shoe!_" The assorted Genin followed her instructions. Ron also went with Harry's group. He was going to help Harry defeat Snape.

"Is everyone here?" asked Hermione, checking her watch.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Chouji yelled from down the street, running at top speed. He was shouldering a huge backpack. He braked beside Shikamaru, and stuck a finger on the black sandal like his friend. "What are we doing?"

"Great. Everyone's where they want to be?" Hermione said.

"Shouldn't you or Luna go to England with them?" Ron pointed Teams 7 and Gai with his free hand. "I mean, they _are_ landing in the middle of my front yard. Knowing Fred and George, they'll have extra arms by the time they're through."

"We have to stay and look after the Death Eaters. But here's something you can use," Hermione pulled out three small mirrors out of her bag. She handed one to Harry and one to Neji. "Three-way mirrors. I found these in Snape's dungeons. Just give them a good shake, and you can communicate with whoever's holding the other one."

"Hey, is this 'England' place where you found the Philosopher's Stone?" asked Ed.

"Yes, but it's-"

"Let's go!" Ed told Al, and shoved between Naruto and Sakura. They both put a finger on the shoe. Ed turned to Riza. "Coming?"

"No. I'm going to look for Roy," replied Riza.

"It's almost time." Hermione looked at her watch. "Keep in touch, and try to land on your feet! Five, four, three, two…"

A small tornado started around the two sandals, engulfing the rescue teams. When the wind cleared, they were gone. Riza, Black Hayate, Anko, Iruka and the Hokage stared at the spot they were in astonishment.

"Right." Hermione said as if she saw that happen everyday. "Next order of business: find Mustang."

* * *

**Note: **I changed a few minor details here and there (like in Chapter 5 when Hinata and Neji's teams entered the tower through the same door).

**In the next chapter: **Black Hayate catches an intruder and Riza gets a date.


	7. Chapter 7: In Konoha

Riza sighed. There was nothing like a warm bath after a long, tiring day. By the Hokage's orders, she could have the women's bath all to herself for the rest of the night. Riza enjoyed the silence and savoured the comfort. For the first time that day, she was alone with her thoughts.

Or so she thought.

Black Hayate explored the bath. He checked out every corner. He investigated every shrub. He sniffed every rock. And it was a good thing he did.

Black Hayate reached a certain shrub that was more special than it appeared. He started barking frantically. Riza opened an eye.

"What is it, Black Hayate?"

Black Hayate kept on snapping and growling at the shrub. Riza reached for her gun. Black Hayate kept on barking.

"Who's there?" she demanded, cocking her gun.

Nothing, except for Black Hayate's barking. He pounced on the shrub, and bit it.

"Ow!" a male voiced shouted. "Stop that!"

To Riza's horror, the shrub started transforming. The leafy green mass altered into an old man with long, fluffy white hair. Black Hayate's teeth were sunk into his arm. He stood up, shaking the dog off. The old man offered Riza what he hoped was a friendly smile, but it was interpreted as a perverted leer.

"**_EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!_**" Riza screamed, grabbing her towel and quickly covering herself. She pointed her gun at the old man, and employed the proverb 'shoot first, ask later'. Black Hayate whimpered and sped out of the bath.

"Hey! Wait! I can explain!" the old man jumped around the room, dodging the bullets, while Riza followed him with her gun. Soon, she had used up all bullets, and the bath was in shambles.

"Riza! I heard screaming! Is everything okay?" Hermione, Luna and Anko rushed into the women's bath.

"Him!" Riza pointed at the white-haired man.

"Oh!" Anko gasped. "It's Jiraiya!"

* * *

"So, what brings you back, Jiraiya?" asked the Hokage.

"I'm doing research for my next book." Jiraiya explained. Riza made a disgusted noise.

"Well, Konoha's been having some trouble lately." Hokage recounted that afternoon's events.

"I see." Jiraiya nodded. "Is that why these lovely ladies are here?" He smiled at Riza. Riza glared back, reaching for her (still fully loaded) gun.

The ANBU with the tiger mask suddenly ran into the room. "Hokage sir! We found two suspicious men in the Forest of Death! One of them matches Hawkeye-sama's description of Roy Mustang!"

Riza gasped, jumping up. Hokage, Hermione, Luna, Anko and Jiraiya got up as well.

"What are you waiting for?" Riza commanded. "Bring them in!"

Tiger mask exited. A moment later, he and his comrade with the bird mask ushered in two men. One was a good-looking man with black hair that was cut away in some places. The other was a bald and extremely muscular man with half of his blonde moustache missing. Both were wearing standard blue military pants and black robes that were too small for the buff guy. Both looked like they'd been beaten up good.

"Roy! Armstrong!" Riza gasped. "What happened?"

"We were in my office. Armstrong was delivering some papers. All the sudden, a greasy man with a big nose and a teenage boy with blonde hair entered the room." Roy furrowed his brow. "And that's all I can remember, until about an hour ago, when I found myself dangling upside-down from a tree."

"They cut away my moustache." Major Alex Louis Armstrong told Riza tearfully.

"Oh, I can fix that." Hermione cast the hair-growing spell on Armstrong and Roy. Soon, their hair and moustache was back to normal. Armstrong beamed. He took off his black robe and flexed while pink sparklies danced around him. Everyone in the room sweatdropped.

"I'm glad to see you, Roy. You too, Armstrong." Riza told her coworkers.

"And I'm glad to meet you." Anko smiled at Roy. "Anko Mitarashi."

"Colonel Roy Mustang, Flame Alchemist." Roy smiled back. "Are all the women here as lovely as you?"

"Oh, how sweet! To answer your question, no." Anko giggled.

Riza's face turned red. "_Anyways_ Roy. Don't you want to know where you are?"

"I could give you a tour. Right now." Anko linked arms with Roy. "And we could have dinner after."

"Okay." Roy shrugged. "Would you like to come along, Riza?"

Anko muttered something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like "Three's a crowd." Riza's face turned even redder. In that moment, she made a decision. Gone were the days when she worked overtime while Roy left early with a hot date. Gone were the days when she would glare jealously at the hot date. She was going to become a new woman! An independent woman that took her fate into her own hands! She was going to change! She was going to improve! She was going to…

"No thank you, Roy," replied Riza. "I've already got a date."

"Really?" Roy and Anko both got very interested looks on their faces. "Who?"

She was going to have to find a date. Riza looked around frantically at the available candidates. The Hokage- too old. Tiger Mask and Bird Face- she didn't know their names and wasn't 100 percent sure they were male. Riza sighed. That left only one choice. Well, he owed her for their earlier meeting.

"As a matter of fact, Jiraiya promised to show me around." Riza's face was so red it looked like it was going to explode.

Those present in the room that knew Jiraiya stared in silent shock. Jiraiya looked like Christmas had come early.

"Yes." Riza put her arm around Jiraiya. "I believe you promised me dinner. Goodnight, Roy. Let's go, Jiraiya." They exited the room together, Jiraiya with a perverted grin on his face. Hokage, the ANBU and Anko staring blankly after them, sweatdropping as Riza bashed Jiraiya's roaming hand with her gun.

* * *

"Riza! Wake up!" A spray of cold water hit her face. Riza groggily opened an eye. Hermione and Luna were standing over her. Luna was holding a small water gun.

"What is it?" she asked, sitting up in her bed. It was the morning of their third day in Konoha, and she'd slept well. It was nine o'clock. They were in a guesthouse the Hokage had let them use. Riza glanced across the room, and saw that Hermione and Luna's beds had already been made. She had shared a room with them, and Roy and Armstrong had shared another one. Riza saw that Hermione and Luna were dressed in ninja-wear. Hermione was holding a ninja suit that seemed to be her size.

"The Hokage's going to be here in about half an hour." Hermione explained. "I can imagine he wants to discuss the futures of our worlds. Also, Luna and I went shopping. We didn't bring any other clothes, and we thought we might as well dress like Konohans."

"We'll see you in the kitchen." Luna told her, and they exited.

A few minutes later, Riza entered the kitchen, and was greeted by a picturesque scene. Roy and Armstrong were drinking coffee and reading newspapers. Hermione and Luna were gossiping away. There was the smell of bacon and eggs, and a place was set for her across from Roy.

"Good morning, Riza." Luna smiled.

"Good morning, everyone." Riza sat down in a business-like manner. "I hope you all slept well?"

"Yes, we did," answered Roy.

"So, what brings you here, Riza?" Armstrong asked. "From what the Hokage told us, it sounded like we were kidnapped. How did you know where to find us?"

Riza, Hermione and Luna explained everything that had happened. Roy and Armstrong listened in awe.

"Are you sure you don't remember anything at all?" asked Hermione.

"No." Roy and Armstrong shook their heads. "It sounds like we were knocked out pretty good. Anyways, Riza, how was your date?"

"It was wonderful." Riza lied. In actuality, Jiraiya had taken her to the ramen stand, where he spent half their date groping her and the other half checking out other women. Their date ended with her emptying the ramen bowl on Jiraiya's head and stomping away, while he called after her saying he'd call her. "And your date with Anko?"

"Wonderful, as well. I really think she's the one. " Roy stroked his chin. Riza turned purple. "I might settle down here, in Konoha. Of course, that's after I get my ignition cloth gloves back and burn that greasy impostor to ashes."

The doorbell rang.

"Oh! That must be the Hokage!" Hermione ran to answer it. A moment later, she returned, but not with the old man. Instead, she had Gaara, Temari, Kankurou and their instructor, a man named Baki with a sheet covering half of his face.

"The Hokage told us to come here," explained Temari. Just then, the doorbell rang again. Hermione went to answer it again, and this time, she returned with the Hokage and Anko, who carried a paper bag. Anko saw Roy, and winked. Out of habit, Riza reached for her gun. Hermione shepherded everyone into the living room.

"What I have to say will be brief." Hokage told them. "You are all aware of the circumstances surrounding yesterday. We have noted all of our best ninjas, but we'd like things to go on in Konoha as they usually do. We do not want the surrounding areas to sense our weakness. That means the exam we planned must go on."

Anko opened her bag, and held it in front of her. "The remaining contestants, please line up in front of me and take a piece of paper from the bag." They did as they were told. "Now, read the number that you received."

"One," said Gaara.

"Four," said Temari.

"Five," said Kankurou.

"Two," said Luna.

"Three," said Hermione.

Anko then pulled out a nifty little chart. "These will be the battles for the final exam. Although the Kazekage has cancelled his trip to Konoha, some of our Jounins will be judging you on your performance. You have one month to get ready. I suggest you train. That is all."

"Please keep us informed of our Genin's process," the Hokage got up, and he and Anko exited.

"See you in a month." Temari smirked at Hermione, and her team left as well.

* * *

Gaara of the Desert was alone. It was the dead of night. He sat high up on the roof of a building, unable to sleep like everyone else. There was a sudden _crack!_ Someone appeared beside him. Gaarastole a glance and confirmedit was his first opponent for the final exam.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"Since I am going to be your rival," Luna rested a hand on the red-haired boy's shoulder. "I thought I should learn more about you."

"I will only warn you once." Gaara said softly. "Go away."

"This won't hurt at all." Luna pulled out her wand from behind her ear. "_Legilimens._"

At first, she was only met with Gaara's annoyance. He proved to be a worthy Occlumens But an untrained muggle could only hold so long against Legilimency. A flood of memory rushed forth. Luna saw all the torment he suffered in his childhood, and felt his pain. She saw the hateful faces of the Kazekage, Yashamaru, and other villagers. She saw the demon he unwillingly hosted, and the hurt it had caused him. Luna saw the way the other children looked at him. She was reminded of her own classmates, except Gaara's situation was worse.

When the movie ended, Luna found herself clutching Gaara like a teddy bear. She was crying, and to Gaara's surprise, he found himself shedding tears as well. All the pain flooded back and engulfed him. But he also realized they were tears of relief. He realized that he did not repulse Luna. He realized that Luna saw him as Gaara the human being, instead of Gaara the boy housing a demon. Luna did not side with Sunagakure, but listened to his side of the story. Luna understood.

"My mother died, too, you know." Luna let go of Gaara and wiped her eyes. "An experiment gone terribly wrong. But I've had the support of the rest of my family, and you didn't even have that. I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Gaara muttered, "Thank you for listening."

Luna offered him a Kleenex, which he graciously took. They sat there alone for the rest of the night. Luna talked about her world, while Gaara listened silently. He found that what she had to say actually interested him. Luna was just starting to tell him about the battle they had fought last year when two figures standing a few roofs over caught her eye. It was Baki and Hayate. They were rapidly fighting, and Luna could see that Baki had the upper hand. Gaara looked over and saw them too. He knew how powerful his instructor was, and understood something new. The value of a human life.

"Go save him." Gaara told Luna.

Luna nodded, and Disapparated with a _crack! _

* * *

Maybe there's a bit of OOCness in this chapter, but I hope you liked it just the same. If anyone has any suggestions for pairings, I'd like to hear them (now's your chance to save Riza:3).

**In the Next Chapter:** Ino falls in love, and Harry meets old and new enemies.


	8. Chapter 8: In East City

"Ow!" Ron, the first to land, did so face-first. Harry came down beside him, crashing on his behind. Ino, Shino, Kiba, Hinata, Shikamaru and Chouji all touched down gracefully on their feet. They had landed in the arena where they'd first met Ed and Al.

"Now that we're here, we should split up into two groups and look for Snape." Harry said. "Since only me and Ron knows what he and the guy he's pretending to be looks like, we'll be the leaders."

"Okay," replied Ron. "Should I choose my team first?"

"Rock-paper-scissors." Harry held out a fist.

Ron chose scissors, but Harry chose rock. "Best two out of three." Ron argued. Harry won the next round. Ron scowled.

"I choose…" Harry looked over at the teams. Team 8 stood attentive and ready. Beside them, Shikamaru was picking his ear, Ino was batting her eyelashes at Ron, and Chouji was eating a bag of potato chips. "Kiba, is it?" Kiba nodded. "Okay. Your team's coming with me. The other team goes with Ron." Ino cheered. Harry turned to Ron. "We'll start inside, and you can start outside. If you run into trouble, send up some sparks and explosions, okay? Good luck!"

Harry, Kiba, Akamaru, Shino and Hinata ran towards the direction of the nearest entrance. Ino attached herself to Ron's arm. Ron walked a few paces, with her in tow, then stopped and looked back. The rest of the team was still there, picking his ear/eating.

"Um, don't you want to find your instructor?" asked Ron uncertainly.

"What a pain." Shikamaru sighed, but he fell into line behind them. Chouji did the same. "This better be worth it."

They walked about halfway around the building when they ran into a bald and very muscular man with a blonde moustache. He wore the standard blue military uniforms. When he saw the group, he stopped dead in his tracks, and his jaw dropped open.

"Ronald Weasley! What are you doing here?"

"Er… do I know you?" Ron frowned.

"Oh, no, not at all. G'day to you, sir," the man realized his mistake, and attempted to sidestep Ron + Team 10.

"Hold on." Ron pulled out his wand and pointed it at the man. "_Specialis Revelio!"_

The man stumbled forwards, and fell down. He started transforming, and when he got up and turned around, they could see his real form. He was a pale, blonde boy with grey eyes and a pointed face. Ron and Ino both gasped.

"Draco Malfoy!"

"He's so gorgeous!"

"Ah, little Weasel made some new friends, I see." Malfoy sneered as he always did, but there was an element in his eyes that screamed he did not want to be there. He also seemed to be weaker and sicklier than when Ron had last seen him. "Are they paying for your little trip? Because you certainly couldn't afford it. Tell me, how's your family? Did they sell you to these little muggles as a pet so they could afford food?"

"_Shut up!_" Ron launched himself at Malfoy and knocked him to the ground. A full-out dogfight started, with neither parties bothering to use magic.

"Should we stop this?" asked Chouji.

"How troublesome," complained Shikamaru.

"I can't decide! They're both so pretty! Stop fighting!" yelled Ino. Chouji and Shikamaru rolled their eyes. They dove in and dragged Ron away from Malfoy.

"Blood… git… insult my family again… dead!" Ron panted.

"What, Weasel? Need your muggle masters to protect you? You're pathetic!" Malfoy taunted. Shikamaru got the feeling he should probably prevent Malfoy from being able to leave.

"Kagemane no Jutsu! The Art of Me-and-My-Shadow!" said Shikamaru. His shadow travelled from where he stood to Draco Malfoy. It was good timing, because Malfoy was just about to Disapparate.

"Alright." Shikamaru crossed his arms. "Where are Asuma and Snape?"

"How am I supposed to know?" replied Malfoy, crossing his arms as well. "And even if I did, I wouldn't tell you filthy muggles and blood traitors!"

Ron cast the Anti-Disapparation jinx on him. He wiped the blood from his nose, and pointed his wand at Malfoy threateningly. "First, you're going to shut up. Next, you're going to take us to Asuma. Finally, you're going to tell us what that git You-Know-Who has up his sleeve. Any tricks and I'll blast you up so high the centaurs in the forest are going to be talking about your rotation of Earth. Understood?" Malfoy nodded grudgingly. "Good. Ino, Chouji, get a good hold on him."

Ino gave both Ron and Malfoy adoring looks, and she and Chouji did as they were told.

"Okay, Malfoy. Where?"

"Well, there's a janitor's closet near one of the men's washrooms that no one really pays attention to…"

* * *

"See him yet, Hinata?" asked Harry. He and Team 8 standing near the entrance. Hinata had employed her Byakugan to seek 'Roy', but it had proved futile.

"There are a lot of dark-haired men…" Hinata looked around. "And almost everyone's in blue uniforms."

"This isn't working." Kiba complained. "Maybe we should go up to the roof and look."

Shino lifted up a finger, where a beetle was perched. He held it close to his ear, and seemed to be observing it carefully. "Roy Mustang's office," he told the group. "Follow me."

The rest of the group seemed to take him seriously, and a puzzled Harry followed suit. They went down some corridors, up some stairs, and down some more corridors. Throughout the whole routine Shino seemed confident in what he was doing. After a while, they finally stopped in front of a locked door. Akamaru, perched on Kiba's head, sniffed around the door and whimpered.

"What is it, Akamaru?" asked Hinata.

"He says a girl is in danger." Kiba translated. Hinata turned on her Byakugan to look through the wood. She gasped.

"He's right. A blonde girl is tied to a chair. There's a man in the room, but he's wearing the appearance of someone else."

"_Alohamara!_" Harry shouted, unlocking the door. He kicked it open. The two occupants of the room looked up with mild shock. One appeared to be the Roy Mustang character they had met before. He sat at his desk with a bored expression on his face, as if it were any other boring old day. True to Hinata and Akamaru's words, a struggling teenage girl with blonde, blonde hair was gagged and tied to a chair beside him. Upon seeing them, she struggled even more. She seemed to be wimpering, but no sound came out of her mouth. Snape had probably placed a silencing charm on her. Harry severed her ropes with a spell, and she ran over to their side.

"Harry Potter? Back so soon?" 'Roy' smiled. "How did the mission go?"

"Shut up." Harry snapped, his wand pointed at him. "I know who you are, Snape. Stand up and fight me like a wizard!"

"Oh, very well." 'Roy' said, pulling on a white glove with a transmutation circle on the back. He took out his wand. He snapped his fingers, causing a spark, and sneered at Harry. "You could never defeat me, you know."

"Kiba, Shino, Hinata, stand back." Harry cracked his knuckles. "This is going to get extremely ugly."

* * *

"Asuma-Sensei! You're okay!" Ino cheered. Malfoy had lead the to the aforementioned janitor's closet. Inside, they had found a man and a woman sitting on the floor, tied up and gagged. They were the man and woman Rudolphus and Bellatrix Lestrange had taken the form of. Ron freed them.

"Are you okay?" Chouji asked them. They tried to speak.

"They've got silencing charms placed on them," explained Malfoy. He took out his wand and lifted the charm.

"Thank you." Kurenai Yūhi rubbed her throat.

"No problem." Malfoy said. Ron looked shocked at his out-of-character generousity.

"Yay! Asuma-Sensei is saved! And it's all thanks to Ron and Draco!" Ino proceeded to hug both. Suddenly, there was a huge explosion down the hall.

"The signal!" Ron gasped. "No time to explain! Come on!"

He took off towards the direction of the explosion. Shikamaru, Chouji, Ino, Asuma Sarutobi, Kurenai Yūhi and Draco Malfoy (dragged along by Ino) followed. More explosions came. The other military workers were starting to notice, too. They finally reached the source, to be reunited with their allies. Shino, Kiba, Akamaru, Hinata and a tall girl with blonde hair were huddled together in a corner. Harry was lying on his back on the ground, in a position of defeat. A man that appeared to be Roy Mustang stood over him in triumph.

"Ahhh, his little friends." 'Roy' smirked. "Come to watch the great Potter's demise? You're all next." He cast a spell to change the air properties.

"Back off, git!" Ron yelled.

"Death by fire?" 'Roy' snapped his fingers, causing a spark. "Or by curse?" he swished his wand, making the tip emit foul-smelling green smoke. He closed in on Harry even more, smirking the king of all evil smirks.

Harry closed his eyes, expecting death to be swift. The blonde girl squealed silently, burying her face in her hands. Akamaru whimpered snuggled down deeper into Kiba's coat. The rest watched intently, unable to tear their gaze away. Snape rested a foot on Harry's chest, and stepped down. Harry cried out in pain. Hinata gasped, chocking back a scream. Kurenai and Asuma gripped hands as Snape poised both hands over him, preparing to end the life of The Boy Who Lived.

"No!" Malfoy dashed forward, pulling out his wand, "_Sectumsempra! Expelliarmus!_"

'Roy' cried out in pain. The ignition cloth glove ripped right along the tramsutaion circle. His wand was knocked out of his hand, toward the open window.

"My, my. How clumsy."

Everyone turned toward the window. A tall woman with long black hair had caught the wand. She entered the room. Her companion, a fat, bald man with a crazed grin on his face, followed after her. They both had strange red circular tattoos, the woman on her chest, and the man on his tongue.

"Good afternoon, Severus," she greeted 'Roy'. "How goes work?"

"Give me one more day, Lust. It's almost done. I just need one more day." 'Roy' suddenly got extremely nervous. Malfoy seemed to shrink as well.

"You've said that every day for the past week now, Severus." Lust continued in her calm manner. "We've been very patient."

At that moment, the effects of the Polyjuice Potion began to wear off. 'Roy's' handsome face began to bubble. Within a minute, it had twisted into its natural hook-nosed greasy-haired appearance that Ron knew only too well.

"Just one more day, Lust!" Snape begged.

"Voldemort promised we would have it a month ago." Lust continued cooly. "The thing about us Homunculi, Severus, is that we hate being dissatisfied." She raised her arm. Her gloved fingers suddenly lengthened and sharpened. Snape gasped, falling onto his knees. Malfoy whimpered.

"Hey, Lust! Can I eat him?" asked the short, fat man.

"No, Gluttony," she told him in the manner of an older sister talking to her little brother. "We need him to serve as… an example. It seems Alecto and Amycus didn't serve as sufficient reminders." She sauntered towards Snape, casting his form in her shadow. Snape snivelled, buring his face to the ground.

"Please! One more day!"

"You're all talk, Severus. And those types of people are useless to us." Lust brought her fingers down against his neck. It pierced the flesh like metal, coming through the other side with a great deal of blood. Snape gave one last sob, and flopped over. Dead.

Lust looked at the rest of the room, all who were staring at her in fear and shock. Her gaze rested on them coldly.

"The party's in England. You know what they say. The more, the merrier," she turned her back on them and walked away. "Come on, Gluttony." Her companion had started to dine on Snape's right arm. He ripped it off, and fell into step beside Lust. They both exited out the window.

"Harry! Get up, mate!" Ron and Kiba dashed forward to help the boy to a chair.

"Malfoy… why…?" Harry struggled to speak, coughing up blood with each word. "Why did you… help?"

Malfoy averted his gaze. Hinata cleared her throat.

"Um… I think she's trying to say sometheing," she pointed at the blonde girl.

"Oh, that's right .The silencing charm. I'll take care of it," Malfoy volunteered, lifting the spell.

"Thank you so much!" the girl exclaimed. "I thought he was going to kill me!"

"He was," Ron commented dryly. "But Harry's right, Malfoy. You save your worst enemy, and even act decently towards a defenceless muggle? What's gotten into you?"

Malfoy sighed, sitting down in the chair closest to him. His face was gaunt and pale. A tear flowed down his face.

"He killed my mother."

"What?" asked Ron.

"After we escaped, we went back to the mansion and _he_ was there. I'd already gotten branded last year, but I was still allowed to live at home. _He_ told my mother that I was going to become his full-time assistant, but she refused. She put up quite a fight, but in the end…" Malfoy's voice shook. "She couldn't win."

"Oh…" Ron was shocked with this nicer Malfoy.

"You have no idea how lucky you are, Weasel." Malfoy continued. "You, with your close-knit, loving family. Do you know what my father did? He just followed _him_ and left her lying there. He didn't even give her a backward glance. He left me there, too. It was like _he_ was the only thing he saw. That _despicable_ creature they call Gluttony finished her off. Snape then took me here, saying this was our assignment."

"What exactly are you doing here?" asked Ron. "Why is he teaming up with all of these people?"

"_He_ found these worlds through experiments. _He_ found Dante and Pride, and offered them the Philosopher's Stone if they offered him help. That's what Snape was doing." Malfoy seemed glad to share the details. "But now I'm here, all alone."

"Join us." Harry gasped out.

"What?" Ron whipped around to face him.

"Do you remember… what Dumbledore…. said…? Right before… Snape killed… him?" Harry asked. Malfoy's face contorted into one of shock, showing he did.

"But how did you know?"

"I was there… invisibility cloak…"

"I would like to. But it's too late…" Malfoy pushed up his sleeve, showing off his tattoo. The snake protruding out of the skull received gasps from only Harry and Ron.

"Harry, I don't want him joining us!" Ron snapped indignantly.

"Look, Ron... I don't like him… any better than you. And I… never will." Harry seemed to grow more faint. "But remember… we are only strong… as long as we are… united…" He passed out.

"Harry!" the blonde girl shrieked.

"Colonel Roy Mustang!" four men burst into the room. They were all dressed in blue. One was short and dark-haired with glasses. Another was a scrawny man possessing brown hair with blonde bangs. The third man was tall and silver-haired. The last was a plump man with light brown hair, who, upon seeing Akamaru, gave a great squeal and dived on top of the closest cupboard.

"What's going on?" demanded the silver-haired man, seeing the bleeding corpse of his superviser.

"Intruders! We should get backup!" exclaimed the one with the glasses, making for the door.

"No! Don't!" Ron quickly shut the door with a spell. "We can explain!"

Introductions were made. The man with the glasses was called Kain Fuery. The silver hair was Vato Falman, the blonde was Jean Havoc and the cynophobic (person afraid of dogs) was Heymans Breda. They all sat down, and listened to what Ron had to say.

"That's a bit hard to believe…" Falman stroked his chin.

"It's impossible!" Havoc shouted. "What did you do to Roy!"

"Take a look at him." Malfoy pointed at Snape. "Is that the man you thought was Roy?"

They all trooped over to look. Turning his body over, they realized that it really wasn't.

"Didn't you notice how strangely he was acting lately?" Malfoy asked. "Does Roy usually do alchemy with a wand?"

A few more pointers finally convinced the men. Their questions burst forth, and Ron and Malfoy did their best to answer them.

"What are you doing here?" Fuery asked the blonde girl.

"Winry Rockebell," she introduced herself. "I came here to look for Ed and Al. Then that imposter trapped me."

"You know the mirror Hermione gave us?" said Shikamaru. "Wouldn't now be a good time to use it?"

"That's right!" Ron recalled. He pointed his wand at Harry, "_Rennervate!_"

"What…?" Harry slowly opened his eyes.

"Harry, the mirror!" Ron held out his hand.

"Oh…" Harry rummaged through his pockets. He pulled something silver and shiny out, and handed it to Ron. He flopped back down on the table.

Ron grinned sheepishly as he showed off the mirror. Everyone looked at the three-way mirror- or rather, what was left of it- with blank expressions on their faces. Harry's landing and encounter with Snape had changed it for the worse. It was so cracked and broken that it made Ron's reflection look like some kind of monster.

"Maybe it'll still work." Ron suggested hopefully, shaking it with all his might. To everyone'e surprise, it did. Hermione's face came up, very cracked and unclear.

"…Ron?" Hermione's voice was very staticky.

"Hermione! Have you found Roy?"

"…Yeah… on date… all alright?…"

"We found Asuma and Kurenai, too!"

"Staticky… you found them?"

"Yeah!"

"Come back…"

"How?"

"Portkey… I enchanted… will bring back…"

"You're breaking up, Hermione!"

"Find… portkey! It'll bring you…" Hermione's voice died. Ron stared at the mirror, confused.

"It's obvious we have to go find the sandal." Shikamaru explained. "Who had it last?"

"We sort of left it there, remember?" said Chouji.

"It might still be there!" exclaimed Kiba, "I'm going to go look!" he and Team 8 raced out of the room, followed by Team 7 and Ron.

"We'll go explore, too." Kurenai and Asuma announced, exiting through the window.

* * *

Night had fallen when Team 8, 10 and Ron returned.

"Did you find it?" asked Harry, who was better.

"Yeah. We think." Ron lifted up something that was so mauled and broken it was hardly recognizable.

"We found something that might be useful," said Kurenai, she and Asuma entering the office through the window. Their shinobi skills had concealed them from the military workers.

"We found this in someone's desk." Asuma showed them a picture of an intricate circle with the words 'transportation circle' printed over it. Ron and Harry immediately recognized it. Harry raised his eyebrows at Ron.

"No way!" Ron argued. "Remember what happened the last two times we tried?"

"But this time we know where we're going," replied Harry. "Do you want to be stuck here forever?"

"I don't!" exclaimed Kiba. "If it'll take us back to Konoha, let's give it a try!"

"We'll draw it in this room," Harry pulled himself up. "We'll start tomorrow. Right now, I think we should all sleep…"

* * *

The circle was finished. It had taken them the whole day and most of the night, but it was done. Hermione was not there to guide them like the last two times, so their work was a little uncertain. However, with 13 people, one dog and loads of beetles helping them, it had gone a little speedier.

Everyone had all spent the last night sleeping in either hard wooden chairs or on the floor, giving Roy's comfy arm chair to Harry because he was injured. Roy's subordinates especially weren't too thrilled at having to camp in the office with the rest of them when they had their own comfy beds not that far away. They hadn't eaten anything since morning, when Roy's subordinates had sneaked some food from the cafetaria.

"Okay, everybody. Just like I showed you." Harry said, entering the circle. Everyone else followed suit, going to their positions. They all held hands and lifted them up into the air.

"Don't mess up on the spell, Malfoy." Roy cautioned the blonde. Malfoy commented back rudely.

"For everyone who doesn't know Konoha, it's best if you just think about Roy or Riza," said Harry. "Okay. Ready?" Everyone nodded, and Harry, Ron and Draco shouted the spell. The circle glowed, and the wind started. The spell had finally gone right for Harry and Ron, and they were swept back to the Village Hidden in the Leaves.


	9. Chapter 9: In England

A big thank-you to everyone who reviewed! Arigatou gozaimas:D

* * *

"I really think we should talk to the Ministry, Arthur," a plump, red-haired woman known as Molly Weasley told her husband.

"That Scrimgeour won't be any help, and you know that," Arthur Weasley, a thin, balding man with glasses, answered.

"We're worried about them, too, mum," her son, a young man with red hair named Fred assured her, "but we're not _that_ desperate."

"They'll turn up," agreed his identical twin George, "They're not kids anymore."

"We _promised_ Hermione's parents she'd be okay," sobbed Molly Weasley, "And we still have to break the horrible news to Luna!"

"Incoming!" a voice from above yelled down. All four Weasleys looked up in shock. Eight figures dropped out of the sky. Five of them landed quite nicely on their feet, but two of them crashed quite painfully with the ground. The final one looked like he had a good landing coming, but he sort of tripped over the two that fell, and landed on top of them.

"Great landing, Narutard," Ed snarled, sandwiched uncomfortably between armour and ninja.

"Shut up, shorty! You made me trip!" Naruto yelled, picking himself up.

"Don't call me short!" Ed jumped up.

"Why not? You are!" Naruto answered. They came to blows, starting up a big dust storm. Alphonse, Sakura and Sasuke sighed.

"Midget! Dropout! Stop fighting! You're making the rest of us look bad," Neji yelled at them.

"Shut up, girly man!" Edward and Naruto snapped, dragging Neji in with them. A large amount of dust gathered around them. It took the joint efforts of Sakura, Alphonse, Tenten and Lee to pry them all apart, while Sasuke watched with a repulsed expression on his face. Alphonse restrained Ed while Sakura and Lee held Naruto back.

Molly, Arthur, Fred and George were now staring at them with alarmed look on their faces. They had drawn their wands, and were pointing them at the group. Tenten and Neji sighed. They stepped forward, holding their hands up in peace.

"Who are you?" Arthur Weasley demanded, "What do you want?"

"We're awfully sorry about our comrades," said Tenten, "My name's Tenten, and this is my friend, Neji Hyuga."

"Are you working for the Death Eaters?" Molly added.

"We're here to look for our teachers," Lee explained.

"And to find the Philosopher's Stone!" Ed yelled.

"We're not enemies," said Tenten.

"How do we know we can trust you?" asked George.

"Here, this should explain everything," Neji took out the three-way mirror, and shook it. "Hermione?"

"Neji… okay?" the connection was very staticky.

"Hermione?" the Weasleys lowered their wands.

"Are you okay, dear? Where's Harry? Where's Luna? Where's my ickle sweetie Ronnikens?" Mrs Weasley asked. Fred and George snickered.

"Fine… I think… say hi, Lun…"

"Hi… okay?" Luna's staticky voice called somewhere from behind Hermione.

"Luna! My love!" Lee cried.

"Connection bad… listen to Neji… allies…" Hermione started to fade. Neji gave the mirror a good shake. Hermione came back, slightly clearer than before.

"These people landed in our yard, Hermione!" Authur told her.

"They're friends, Mr. Weasley. I can explain…" Hermione's picture started to get staticky again.

"Terrible connection," commented Tenten.

"Never mind! Ask them… tell you… I'll see… soon…" the mirror went dead.

Tenten and Neji gave the family a look that said, "I told you".

"Well, I suppose we can trust you…" said Mr. Weasley slowly, "It's going to get dark soon. Perhaps it would be better if we all went inside."

* * *

Arthur, Molly, Fred, George, Ginny, Team 7, Team Gai and the Elrics were sitting in the Weasley's living room. An old woman with sharp eyes and grey hair, a woman with limp brown hair and a weary-looking man who introduced themselves as Professor McGonagall, Tonks and Remus Lupin were also there. Neji had told them their story, and the Weasleys had talked about their own problems. The adults were discussing the situation with Neji and Alphonse, while Sasuke listened silently. Neji noticed that Tonks kept on shooting hurt looks at Remus. Naruto, Lee and Edward were shoving Molly's home-cooked meal into their mouths at the speed of lightening. Sakura and Ginny were discussing the various aspects of their lives, and Fred, George and Tenten were amusing themselves with a game of Exploding Snap.

"The Chamber of Secrets, you say?" Mr. Weasley pondered out loud. Ginny's head snapped in his direction. Her eyes flashed.

"That's where Gai-Sensei is!" Lee yelled with a mouth full of spaghetti.

"The chamber of secrets is in a school named Hogwarts," explained Mr. Weasley. "We're on holiday right now, so it's closed."

"We must go rescue him," said Neji. "Will you take us there?"

"Your story seems legitimate," McGonagall peered at Neji and Alphonse closely. Neji stared back. "It's too late tonight, but I suppose I could take you there tomorrow."

"I don't believe it! It's almost ten o'clock!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, looking at the clock. She started to shepherd her guests to their feet. "Off to bed with all of you!"

"Do we have enough room?" asked Mr. Weasley.

"Sakura and Tenten can share Ginny's room, Naruto and Sasuke can sleep in Ron's room, Neji and Lee can sleep in Percy's room, and Ed and Al can take the guest room." Mrs. Weasley ticked off the names on her hand. "Would anyone else like to stay?"

"It's alright," Lupin told her. "Thank you for the meal, Molly. Goodnight, everyone." He Disapparated, leaving Tonks staring painfully at the space where he was.

"I think I'll go, too." McGonogall said. "Goodnight. I'll see you in the morning." She Disapparated, too.

"'Night." Tonks seemed very downcast as she left.

"Off to bed! Children need sleep to grow, you know!" Mrs. Weasley looked at Ed in particular. However, her words did not register, as Ed, Naruto and Lee were all snoring soundly.

"I'll show you where you're sleeping," Ginny volunteered.

"Brother fell asleep with his stomach out again." Alphonse shook his head, picking Ed up and following her.

"I guess we can't really blame them." Sakura and Sasuke hoisted Naruto up. "We've all barely slept the last few days."

"Poor Lee. I hope he has enough energy tomorrow." Tenten added, supporting Lee.

"A true shinobi would not have any problems." Neji replied, bringing up the rear. Molly, Arthur, Fred and George watched them all disappear up the stairs.

"What a strange bunch of children." Molly shook her head.

* * *

"So this is the great and wonderful Hogwarts," muttered Ed as they trudged through the school.

"It's not bad," complimented Tenten.

"We must find Gai-Sensei!" Lee yelled.

"Quiet down! We'll reach Moaning Myrtle's bathroom soon!" McGonogall shot him her best teacher's eye. Lee silenced. They turned a few corridors and walked quite a ways before they arrived at Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Ed, Al, McGonogall, Team 7, Team Gai and Remus Lupin all crowded in.

"Who's Moaning Myrtle?" Ed grumbled, stuck between Al and Naruto. He really shouldn't have asked. The ghost of a pale girl with glasses appeared headfirst out of the ground beneath Ed. Ed shrieked and jumped Scooby-like into Al's arms. Everyone else looked at her with shock on their faces, while McGonogall and Lupin simply sweatdropped.

"Now you know." McGonogall told Ed.

"Oooh, visitors! And so many!" Myrtle cooed, traveling through the crowd to examine everyone. She stopped as Sasuke, and patted her eyelashes at him. "My name's Myrtle. What's yours?"

"Back off!" Sakura snarled. "He's mine!" Myrtle floated back a few paces with an offended look on her face.

"Where's the Chamber of Secrets!" demanded Lee.

"Well, see those sinks? There's supposed to be a snake carved onto one of the spouts." McGonogall pointed.

Neji activated his Byakugan, "Yeah, I see it."

"That's the only way to get in. But it's protected by a special magic, and only those who speak Parseltongue-"

"Oh, give me a break!" Ed stomped towards the sinks. He adjusted his gloves and held his arms out. "Everybody, stand back!" Edward clapped his hands, and slammed them down onto the entrance. It crumbled, and a long, dark passageway was revealed.

"Impressive," complimented McGonogall.

"See you in a bit!" Ed yelled, jumping into his handiwork. Alphonse and Lee followed suit. Tenten was about to go in after them, but Neji stopped her.

"How do we know it's safe?"

"It's not, but we have to help Gai-Sensei," answered Tenten, jumping in.

"The rest of you stay here. There's no point in all of us going down at once." Neji commanded the rest of the group, and followed Tenten.

Ed and Alphonse had better landings this time. The passageway was pitch-black, but Edward was able to make a light. They walked for nearly the whole morning. They saw many things, including but not limited to a large, rotting basilisk. They finally came to the room with the state of Salazar Slytherin. Two men were tied back-to-back. One was a thick-browed man that looked like an older version of Lee, and the other was a dark-haired man with glasses wearing a blue military uniform. They were having a very lively conversation.

"Gai-sensei!" yelled Lee.

"Maes Hughes?" gasped Ed.

"You came!" Gai grinned happily.

"Ed! Al!" Lieutenant Colonel Hughes was as surprised as Ed. Ed changed his automail and quickly severed their ropes.

"Lee!"

"Gai-Sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-Sensei!"

Enter tears, hugging, pretty background and much sweatdropping.

"So this is your son, Lee!" Hughes exclaimed. "He looks like you, Gai!"

"Thank you!" Lee answered tearfully.

"And those must be your daughters Tenten and Neji. I've heard so much about you!"

Tenten and Neji's jaws dropped open.

"_Excuse me?_" Tenten gasped.

"_Daughter!_" Neji snarled.

"Oh, they're not _really_ my children, Maes, they're my students. But we really are like one big, happy family!" Maito Gai enclosed Tenten and Neji in a hug, too. He let go after awhile, then pointed at Al. "That must be the Fullmetal Alchemist!"

"Me?" Al pointed at himself, sweatdropping.

"No, no! The blonde one!" Hughes informed his friend.

"What! But he's so short!"

"Who are you calling a lawn gnome so small he could play hide and seek in the flower bed!"

"Anyways, Lieutenant Colonel Hughes, what are you doing here?" asked Alphonse.

"Funny story, actually. The other day, I went over to my old pal Mustang's office to visit. I went in, and him and Major Armstrong were there, out cold! This blonde kid and a guy with really greasy hair were there, drawing a circle around them. Then, the next thing I know, I'm here!" explained Hughes. "That's my story. How about you?"

Al told him what happened to them.

"What happened to you, Gai-Sensei?" asked Lee.

"Asuma, Kakashi, Kurenai and I all went to have lunch while you were competing in the exams. On our way back to the village, a bunch of people in black robes attacked us. Don't remember much after that, but here I am." Gai shrugged.

"Well, 'here' is a little freaky," said Tenten, "We should probably get out of here."

"Yes. This place bears an evil Chakra." Neji looked carefully around. "Many evil acts were performed here."

"Let's go, then!" Ed raced off toward the direction they came from. "We still need to find the Philosopher's Stone!"

* * *

"We're here to visit Lucius Malfoy," Tonks told the Azkaban receptionist. It was the afternoon of the same day, and they were now onto Rescue Mission #2.

"What is the purpose of this visit, ma'am?" the witch behind the reception desk peered suspiciously at her.

"Can't I visit my uncle without a whole interrogation?" asked Tonks.

"Considering who your uncle is, no."

"C'mon, grandma! What's the holdup!" Naruto demanded. Neji, Sakura and Sasuke had come along, but everyone else had stayed back because McGonogall had deemed it too suspicious if they all came.

"What did you call me, young man?" the receptionist glared at the boy.

"Baka Naruto! We're trying to make a good impression!" Sakura hit him.

"Narutard." Sasuke muttered under his breath.

"Hogwarts is running a course on teaching young children to stay away from the Dark Arts," Tonks pulled out a note McGonogall had written. The receptionist went over the note several times. She finally nodded grudgingly.

"Fine. One of our interns will take you to his cell. Hercule?"

A young wizard led the group through the gloomy prison. They finally arrived at a cell holding what appeared to be Lucius Malfoy. The blonde-haired man was sleeping. A wizard stood guard. Hercule talked with the guard for a bit. The guard gruffly nodded, and unlocked the cell.

"Is it the teacher?" Tonks asked Neji. Neji nodded.

"Kakashi-Sensei!" yelled Naruto. The man woke up, and blinked in surprise.

"Naruto?"

Tonks cast a spell to lift the transformation. Lucius Malfoy changed into a good-looking man with wild silver hair. There seemed to be something wrong with one of his eyes. Neji and Team 7 gasped at the sight of him without his mask, and Tonks blushed furiously. Her hair turned pink to match her face. Hercule and the guard stared at Kakashi in shock.

"How did you find me?" Kakashi asked.

"Because I'm a genius!" declared Naruto. Sasuke, Neji and Sakura rolled their eyes.

"What's going on!" demanded the guard wizard.

"I guess we have some explaining to do," sighed Tonks.

* * *

**Note(s): **To keep things simple, East City, Konoha and England have the same timelines. Team Harry and Team Ed left at about the same time, which is around 5:30.

Team Ed (or Team Neji? Which one seems more appropriate?) contacted Hermione before they found Roy, and Team Harry, after.

The explaining of the Final Exam and Luna's encounter with Gaara are on the second day, when Team Harry draws the circle and Team Ed finds Gai, Hughes and Kakashi.

The person announcing the fight back in Chapter 2 was not Hughes.

And that's all for now, I think… :3

**In the Next Chapter: **Veritaserum used! Schemes uncovered! Loyalties revealed!


	10. Chapter 10: In Konoha again

"But… a blade of wind can be stopped by no one."

_Crack._

"_Protego!_"

Luna's Shield Charm protected her and Hayate from most of the effects of Baki's Kaze no Yaiba. However, some blades tore through the charm, cutting Luna, who was standing in front of Hayate. The force of the wind knocked her backwards.

"Are you okay?" Hayate rushed over Luna.

"Yes," Luna pulled herself up. "Why are you fighting?"

"Little girls would do well to mind their own business," Baki growled.

"Step aside, Luna." Hayate commanded, "You did well in the exam, but you're no match for him." He and Baki faced each other, ready to resume combat.

"_Petrificus Totalus!_" Luna yelled, pointing her wand at Baki. His body froze in mid-attack, and he fell over. Hayate easily knocked him out with his attack.

A few rooftops away, Gaara observed the match patiently. Suddenly, a hand gripped his shoulder. Gaara turned around. It was a man with short brown hair, carrying a large burlap sack on his shoulder. Gaara glared at him

"Pleasant evening, isn't it?" the man smiled.

"What do you want, Father?" Gaara snarled.

"To see you. To tell you that I love you." Gaara's eyes widened. The Kazekage laughed. "Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"Go away…" Gaara warned him, as sand gathered around him.

"How's the exam? Are you enjoying it, Gaara… you self-loving demon?" the Kazekage laughed louder.

Gaara wrapped his sand around the man's arms. Both were twisted off in a splatter of blood. Gaara turned back to the match. Luna was now casting the rope-spell on Baki.

"Youngsters these days… no respect." The Kazekage spoke calmly. Gaara whirled around; shocked to see his arms had grown back. "Well, if you're that desperate to kill the Yondaime Kazekage, I have good news. I already did it for you."

The brown-haired man started to shift. He changed into a teenage boy with long, green hair. There was a circular tattoo of a dragon on his left thigh. He looked much weaker than the Yondaime Kazekage, but he easily lifted Gaara off the ground with one hand. He maintained a bone-crushing grip on Gaara's neck.

_Crack! _Luna had returned.

"Who are you!" Luna demanded.

"That's not important… I can be anyone you want." The boy tossed his hair, and changed his form into that of Hermione. He then changed into Dumbledore, then Voldemort, and finally back to his green-haired self.

"_What_ are you?" Gaara rephrased.

"My name is Envy. I'm a Homunculus." Envy tightened his grip on Gaara. "I already know who you are, though. Gaara of Sand… holder of the Shukaku. I was under the impression that you would be stronger."

"Let him go!" Luna yelled.

There was a sickening _snap!_ Gaara's head rolled to one side. Envy had broken his neck.

"With pleasure." Envy tossed the red-haired boy at her. Luna caught him, but they were both knocked to the edge of the roof. Gaara's sand pulled them back. Envy started towards them, a murderous gleam in his eye. Suddenly, there was a beeping noise. Envy tossed his burlap sack aside and reached into the pocket of his… skirt thing. He pulled out a cell phone.

"Hello?… Hi, Lust… Hogwarts? Now? Why?… I'm busy… Fine… See you there… Bye." He hung up, and turned to Luna. "You got lucky this time. I'll see you soon." He raised his cell phone into the air, where it started gleaming bright blue. There was a blinding burst of light that made Luna turn away. When she looked back, Envy was gone.

"Luna! Are you okay?" Hayate raced over to her rooftop, with Baki in tow.

"I'm fine," answered Luna, "But Gaara isn't."

"What's that?" Hayate pointed to the burlap sack Envy dropped. Luna shrugged, turning her attention back to Gaara. She still held him, cradling his head. His face was pale, and blood was streaming out of his mouth. Hayate approached the burlap sack carefully, expecting a huge, green monster with warts to burst out. He gingerly cut it, to reveal… a girl.

A very bruised girl with long brown hair and pink bangs had been stuffed into the bag. Her white dress was stained with a considerable amount of blood. She was (you guessed it) bound, gagged and unconscious. Hayate undid her ropes.

"All of you wait right here. I'm going to get the medics." He dashed away.

"Luna… you're bleeding." Gaara whispered. He shakily clasped her hand that wasn't supporting his neck.

"I guess so," Luna shrugged. She helped Gaara up. "Can I have my hand back? I'm going to fix your neck." She uttered an incantation, and a flash of light burst from her wand. There was a piercing moment of pain for Gaara. It numbed, and his neck felt normal again. "There. Good as new."

"Why, Luna? Why are you helping me?" Gaara seized both of Luna's hands. "I live to kill. It's my greatest joy, and you know that. I could probably kill you right now, and not shed a tear. Why aren't you afraid? Why don't you despise me like the others?"

"I just like helping people, I guess." Luna shrugged. "And could you really kill me without a second thought?" Gaara squeezed her hands so hard he almost broke them. They stood there for a few moments, looking at each other and not saying a word. The stars glittered above them like tiny diamonds. The wind swept through their hair.

"What… where am I?" a voice came from behind them. The girl Envy dropped had woken up.

"Your safe now. The medics are coming. But how did you get here?" Luna asked the pink-and-brown-haired girl.

"My name is Rose Thomas, and I'm from Lior," the girl explained. "I went to confront our leader, Father Cornello, but found out that Envy had taken his form. He said something about how his boss would have use for my body, and I don't really remember anything after that."

"I'm back!" Hayate announced, with medic ninjas carrying stretchers in tow. "You're all hurt! Don't try to move!"

Luna, Rose and Baki were all loaded onto stretchers. It had been a long day for Luna. She fell asleep as soon as her head touched the stretcher.

* * *

"Open wide!" Hermione instructed Baki cheerfully, holding a spoonful of clear liquid in front of him. Baki disdainfully turned his head to the side.

An hour had passed since Baki's battle and Envy's visit. Hermione was in Baki's hospital room with Roy, Riza, Armstrong, Hayate, Anko and the Hokage. Luna and Rose were asleep in another room. Roy had explained what was happening in Lior, and now they were waiting for Baki's explanation.

"Sensei! We heard what happened!" Temari and Kankurou burst into the room.

"We're about to start a very complicated medical procedure," Riza snapped angrily, the mood she often tended to be in when Anko was around. "Don't interrupt."

"Where's Gaara?" asked Temari.

"He's sitting with Luna," Roy told them. "I don't know what happened, but he won't leave her side." Temari, Kankurou and Baki all looked at each other with perplexed expressions on their faces. This wasn't the Gaara they knew.

In Baki's moment of distraction, Hermione was able to force the Veritaserum into his mouth. She stepped back, admiring her handiwork.

"Okay, Baki. Tell us why you attacked Hayate Gekko," Anko instructed.

Baki explained Sand's alliance with Sound, and the Kazekage's plans to take down Konoha. He told them that the Kazekage told him that Sound had made an alliance with Ninjas from other worlds, but Sand didn't know much else. He'd heard that one group of the new allies liked to wear pointy hats and black robes. The other group were few and didn't look too special, but had inhuman strength and seemed to be indestructible. When he finally stopped, there was uncomfortable silence. It was interrupted by the appearance of a large transportation circle that took up the whole floor of the small hospital room.

"Watch out!" a voice cried from above. Ten teenagers, 6 adults, a dog and a corpse all appeared with a puff of smoke, crashing onto the floor. Six of the teenagers and two of the adults landed on their feet, but the others basically… crashed.

"Colonel Roy Mustang, sir!" four of them jumped to their feet and saluted Roy.

"Oh, that is just _disgusting!_" Temari pointed at the bloody corpse of Severus Snape.

"You killed him!" Hermione gasped.

"And ate him." Kankurou added dryly.

"Why is Malfoy here!" demanded Hermione.

"It's a long story." Harry said. "Well, to start it off, Snape really was impersonating Roy, and Malfoy was impersonating Armstrong. Then, a woman named Lust came and stabbed Snape, and her friend Gluttony ripped his arm off."

"It's true," Kurenai confirmed. "Asuma and I saw it, too."

She and Asuma proceeded to explain the circumstances, ending with how Lust mentioned something about England. Hermione decided to get into contact with Hogwarts. She spoke to Neji, who passed the mirror over to McGonogall. The connection was still bad, but the Hokage asked to speak with her anyway. After several minutes, he handed the mirror back to Hermione.

"Minerva and I have come upon an agreement. It's obvious that there are dark times ahead of us," the Hokage said to the Golden Trio. "We enjoyed having you as guests here for the past two days, but I believe it is time for you to go back to where you came from. However, we are going to send some of our ninja over as well. Most of us, including myself must remain in Konoha to protect it, but we will have some of our Jounin accompany you back. And, as for you, Mustang-dono, Hawkeye-sama… it seems the danger threatens you as well, but Professor McGonogall does not know who you are. Is there something you failed to tell us?"

"It seems our world is connected with this, too. Those creatures with inhuman strength that Baki mentioned might be the homunculi." Roy went on to tell the real story. Everyone listened patiently, except for Baki, who had passed out.

"I see. I believe I will still execute my plan. Whether or not you and your subordinates come is your choice. I am going to have a meeting tonight. I suggest the rest of you get some sleep. We will meet at the guesthouse tomorrow, at 0800 hours. That is all. Good-night," the Hokage, Hayate and Anko bowed. Roy, Riza, Armstrong, Falman, Breda, Havoc and Fuery all saluted them.

Hermione yawned. "Well, I'm going to bed. I have a feeling the next year is _not_ going to be boring."

* * *

"What the…" a half-asleep Ron Weasley stopped dead right outside the door. He gawped at the people gathered in the living room.

Roy Mustang was flirting shamelessly with a giggling Kurenai. His crew was playing a merry game of cards. Riza often missed her turn because she was glaring daggers at the kunoichi. Havoc was comforting a disappointed Asuma with the words "He does that to me all the time." Winry and Rose (who had returned from the hospital earlier that morning) kept close to the military, holding a whispered conversation. Hayate, Iruka, Anko, Jirayia, the Hokage and a man wearing a Konoha bandanna with scars running down his face all stood off to one corner, talking quietly amongst themselves. Kiba watched fondly as Akamaru and Black Hayate played tag. Shikamaru sat with a bored expression on his face beside Shino and Hinata, who were quiet, as usual. Chouji was eating, and Ino, who was nagging him, stopped to wave at Ron. Hermione sat in the midst of this, calmly drinking her coffee and reading a book.

"Excuse me," a voice came from behind. Ron turned around and jumped back, squealing. It was Gaara. Luna stood beside him, and his siblings followed them.

"What… why… why are you… you?" Ron sputtered.

"Good morning, Ronald." Luna smiled. "I invited Gaara to go back with us."

"And we wanted to support our teammate," Temari added.

"You're in our way." Kankurou told Ron, and they pushed past him into the living room.

"Good morning, Ron," Harry yawned, approaching Ron. "Why are there so many people in our living room?"

Hermione suddenly spewed out her coffee. "Oh _no!_" she screeched, staring at the page she was reading. Everyone stopped what they were doing, and looked at her questionably.

"What's wrong, Hermione?" asked the man with scars on his face.

"Oh, it's nothing, Mr. Morino," Hermione waved her hand, "No problems at all! The rest of you just go back to what you were doing before! I just have to go and check something really quickly!" She slipped off her chair, and walked out of the room. She started off towards the basement, beckoning Ron and Harry to follow.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

"The book! It says that the Anti-Disapparation charm has to be renewed every twenty-four hours! We cast it _more_ than a day ago! Bellatrix and Lucius could be gone!" Hermione started tugging at her hair. "What am I going to do!"

"Calm down, Hermione. Breathe!" Ron comforted his friend.

Hermione inhaled. "The four of us cast the spell at once. The book said the more the charm is cast, the more reliable it is. Maybe it'll last longer. Maybe they're not gone."

"Well, we should probably go check on them," said Harry. "They're in the basement, right? Let's go." All three of them walked down the stairs to where their prisoners were held. They were almost there, when they heard voices. Hermione motioned for them to be quiet, and they all peeked around the corner. Draco Malfoy was standing there, facing his family.

"Well, are you just going to stand there?" Lucius demanded.

"Let us out!" Bellatrix ordered.

Draco stood there, staring at them coldly. He shook his head.

"Useless boy!" Rudolphus scolded him.

"Just because you branded me against my will doesn't mean I'm loyal to your side." Draco snapped, rolling up his sleeve. "I'm an adult, now, and I can choose for myself! And I choose Potter's side!"

"You're switching sides after what Severus pulled?" Lucius sneered. "If you think they'll ever trust you again, you're wrong!"

"I'm going to earn their trust," Draco snarled. "And someday, I'll avenge my mother!" He turned his back on them, and stomped past them. He was so infuriated that he marched right by the Golden Trio without noticing them.

"Well, unless he set this whole thing up…" Harry looked thoughtfully at his friends.

"I bet he is!" Ron hissed.

"I suppose we can trust him _with caution_," Hermione concluded. "Anyways, let's go renew the anti-Disapparation charm."

* * *

"Okay, everyone. It's best if you either keep your mind blank, or think about Ed, Al or Naruto and Neji's teams," Hermione instructed to everyone standing in the circle, "We _don't_ want to make a mistake like last time!" She glared at Harry, Ron and Luna.

"Funny that the only time the circle works is when she's not here," Ron muttered under his breath.

"Okay! Everybody clear?"

"Yes!"

"Prisoners still in place?"Lucius, Peter, Bella and Rudolphus, who were sitting in the middle of the circle beside the body of Snape, glared at Hermione.

"Yes!"

"Everybody ready?"

"Yes!"

"Let's go!" Hermione cried. Everybody took the hand of the people beside them, and raised their arms in the air. Luna, Ron, Hermione, Harry and Draco cast the spell, and the circle started glowing. The Golden Trio found themselves traveling back to their starting point.

* * *

How old is Rose, anyway? I'm guessing she's maybe 18 or 19.

**In the Next Chapter:** A reunion with old friends and new allies.


	11. Chapter 11: In England

A large circle appeared on the front yard of the Burrow. Kakashi, Gai, Hughes, Team 7, Team Gai, Ed, Al, Arthur, Molly, Fred, George, Alastar Moody, McGonogall, Tonks and a trio of other Aurors watched the sky. 5 wizards, 7 military workers, 16 ninjas, 2 common citizens, 2 dogs, 4 Death Eaters and a corpse (I hope I didn't forget anyone) came tumbling down from the sky. Most of the people managed to land on their feet, but many of them crashed painfully into the ground.

"We really should work on our landing," Ron Weasley muttered, rubbing his head. The others painfully got up as well.

"Ronnikins! You're alive! Are you okay? I've been worried half to death! You didn't even leave a note!" Mr. and Mrs. Weasley both ran over to Ron and engulfed him in huge hugs. Mrs. Weasley was sobbing as if Ron really were dead.

"Mum, dad, gerroff! I'm _fine!" _Ron wiggled out of their grasp. "Seriously! Parents can be such a pain!" Immediately, Neji, Sasuke, Naruto, Gaara, Temari, Kankurou, Ed, Al and Winry gave him looks so icy Ron felt his spine freeze. He grudgingly let Molly fuss over his hair.

"Winry! What are you doing here?" Ed asked in surprise. Winry suddenly burst into tears, and ran into his arms. Ed looked at Al hopelessly.

"Ed! It's horrible! I came to Central to tell you and Al, but you weren't there! And then that _awful_ man who was pretending to be Roy Mustang tied me up and wouldn't let me leave!" Winry sobbed.

"We're here now. What did you want to tell us?" asked Al.

"They killed Grandma Pinako!" Winry wept.

"_What!_" Ed roared, "Who did? I'll rip their head off!"

"These people, in black cloaks… they came to our town… destroyed everything… they said they thought they smelt an aura of magic, but all they could see was us useless 'muggles', whatever that is… they killed most of the town, I was one of the few lucky ones that escaped…" Winry broke into fresh tears. "They called themselves the Death Eaters."

"The Death Eaters…" Ed glanced over at Harry. "Before, I only came here for the Philosopher's Stone. But now I have a _personal_ grudge against Voldemort's little soldiers. I'm going to rip them all to pieces!"

"I'm afraid we can't let you rip those ones to pieces," Moody, Tonks and the other three Aurors each grabbed a Death Eater by the scruff of their neck. Tonks, who ended up with Snape, looked at the Golden Trio questionably.

"Long story," Harry shrugged sheepishly. "We'll fill you in later."

"Right. Off to Azkaban we go. I'll see you later." Tonks saluted them, and the military saluted her back. The Aurors Disapparated with their prisoners. Mrs. Weasley suddenly caught sight of Luna, and the glow she had from Ron's return faded.

"Oh, Luna dear, could you come here, please?" she released her son. Luna trotted over, Gaara adorably following her. Mrs. Weasley pulled a newspaper clipping from three days ago out of her pocket. She put a motherly arm around Luna, and spoke very gently as she handed her the article. "Now Luna, I want you to know that our door is always open to you. You're welcome to stay with us as long as you want."

Luna took the article curiously and looked at it. A look of shock and horror came over her face. The article was relatively short, with a picture of a blonde man included. He repeatedly smiled and waved at the camera. Luna read it out loud;

"_August 13- Forty-three-year-old Lionel Lovegood, editor of _The Quibbler_, found dead at his home_. _Officials suspect Death Eater involvement, making this case the third death this week. Muggle neighbours found the body of the victim in the entrance hall. They said that they heard a loud noise like a gun-blast comes from the house, and went over to investigate. It is confirmed that Lovegood seemed to have had his brains blown out from the inside. Investigators say some form of strange magic was use. One neighbour recounts seeing a suspicious man with white hair, sunglasses and a large scar on his forehead loitering around the neighbourhood earlier. Victim's wife, Lorelei Lovegood, passed away seven years ago. Daughter Luna has not been contacted yet. Ministry of Magic recommends for all to stay calm, and cast anti-intruder spells on their homes. A pamphlet on protection against Dark Magic can be found on Page 3."_

Silence passed. No one was quite sure what to say. Gaara put a hand on Luna's shoulder comfortingly. A tear slipped down Luna's cheek.

"I need to be alone," Luna announced, running towards the house. Gaara followed her. Roy, Riza, Hughes and their subordinates were now quietly discussing the subject among themselves.

"It's definitely him," Hughes muttered.

"But how could he have gotten here?" asked Riza.

"I don't know, but now we have more reason than ever to stay," decided Roy. "This is a golden opportunity for a promotion!" His friends sweatdropped. Moody and Tonks returned to the yard with a _crack!_

"Is everything alright?" asked McGonogall.

"Yeah," growled Moody. His fake eye swirled around. "Who are all of these people? I want a proper introduction before I can be expected to trust them."

"I would like to have a talk with all of the adults," announced Roy.

"Yes. Fred, George, why don't you take all the children inside and fix them a snack?" suggested Mrs. Weasley.

"_We're adults, too!_" Fred and George yelled indignantly. But they obediently shepherded Teams 7, 8, 10, Gai, Sand, Draco, Winry and Rose towards the door. Ed and Al stubbornly lingered. Harry, Ron and Hermione made to follow them, but McGonogall motioned for them to stay. Those who remained formed a circle.

"I am Ibiki Morino of Konoha. The Hokage sent me to help, as he thinks my interrogation skills may be useful," the scar-faced man announced. Kakashi, Gai and Asuma gave each other dark looks at the mention of his interrogation skills. Everyone else introduced themselves, and their situations were explained to Moody. Finally, he was able to grudgingly acknowledge them as allies.

"What happened to Lionel Lovegood has been happening in Central lately, as well," Hughes explained. "We don't know the culprit's true name, but he is called 'Scar', after the large scar on his forehead. The 'magic' he used to, er… blow Lovegood's brains out is called alchemy. Many State Alchemists have been murdered in the same way."

"Could he be working with Orochimaru and Voldemort?" asked Hayate (the human).

"Maybe. Whether he is or not, he seems to be an enemy. _Constant vigilance!_" Moody commanded.

"Speaking of that, I have some good news." McGonogall announced, "The Ministry of Magic has agreed to let all of you, and any other future allies from your worlds, stay and guard Hogwarts. You and your subordinates don't have any problems with that, right?" she looked around at the group. They all shook their heads.

"Good. Also, I just sent letters for the upcoming semester this morning, which included my plans for the new security. It seems the people have decided that Hogwarts is a safer place for their children, and half of the families wrote back saying their children will return!" McGonogall seemed pleased. "Hogwarts still stands after all. Oh, by the way, the new Transfiguration and Head of Gryffendor will be Nymphadora Tonks," Tonks blushed while everyone congratulated her.

"However, I have not found a suitable Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher yet," McGonogall started.

"We can help you with that," a sultry voice announced. Everyone swerved to its direction. Five people were standing there, looking extremely pleased with themselves. Harry and Ron had met two of them before; they were the woman and man that had killed and devoured Snape. Hayate recognized the green-haired youth who didn't look particularly thrilled to be there. The other two were a brown-haired woman who looked eerily like Ed and Al's mother, and a pale, dark-haired child whose right arm and left leg was a different colour than the rest of his body.

"It's Snape's murderers!" gasped Ron.

The military workers cocked their guns, the wizards pointed their wands at them, and the shinobi got into fighting stances.

"Calm down," the woman known as Lust laughed. Gai fired a shuriken at them, but Gluttony easily caught it in his mouth. He crunched it up and swallowed it. "We come in peace. Listen to what we have to say."

"What are you? What do you want?" demanded Anko.

"We are known as the Homunculi," said Lust. "Our names are Lust, Gluttony, Envy, Sloth and Wrath. There are two more of us, Greed and Pride, but they did not want to come."

"Homunculi… creatures created from failed human transmutations," Ed and Al looked at each other in horror, suddenly realizing why Sloth looked so much like their mother.

"Correct," nodded Lust. "Up until recently, we were allied with the evil forces of your worlds, the Death Eaters and the Sound ninjas."

"So why the sudden change of heart?" asked Kakashi.

"Because we realized that we could gain so much more if we allied with you," replied Lust.

"Because that disgusting snake-man Voldemort wanted to put a piece of his soul into my body!" shouted Envy, "And the _other_ one, Orochimaru, wanted to _take over_ my body completely! Hey, just because I'm an adorable, indestructible, shape shifting-"

"Androgynous, cross-dressing palm tree," Ron hissed to Harry.

"You're not so hot yourself, _Ronnikins!_" Envy pointed a finger at Ron, who trained his wand on the boy.

"We don't need to resort to violence," Lust and Hermione restrained them.

"So why should we help you?" demanded Ed.

"Because we can help you, too." Sloth answered. The resemblance of her voice to his mother's made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

"I know you're looking for the Philosopher's Stone too, Elric," Lust added. "All you have to do is promise us a share of it when you find it."

"And what will you do for us?" asked McGonogall.

"You mentioned you needed a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" asked Lust. "Well, you have five options. Take your pick. Also, Sloth and Wrath has been investigating lately. We know many of your Order of Phoenix secrets, like where you're _meeting_."

The wizards gasped.

"Yes, we know that. The Grimmauld place, right? Your little secret-keeping charm doesn't work on the homunculi once the secret-keeper is dead. Lucky for you, we haven't told anyone yet. We also know many of _our_ enemies' secrets. For example, we know where the Horcruxes are." Lust smirked at the group. That only provoked a reaction from Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"What's a Horcrux?" asked Arthur.

"So _that's_ why he was able to come back!" McGonogall exclaimed.

"What? You haven't told them yet, Harry?" Lust seemed surprised. Harry sheepishly explained. The group talked quietly among themselves. Everyone except for Moody came upon the same conclusion. Finally, McGonogall, Ibiki and Roy stepped forward, each shaking hands with Lust as a sign of their new alliance.

"As of now, we are on the same side. You will help us defeat our enemies, and we will help you gain the Philosopher's Stone," announced McGonogall, "But until we are sure that we can trust you as much as Harry Potter himself, you will be kept under surveillance."

"To seal our pact, you must first find and destroy a Horcrux," added Ibiki.

"We thought you would ask for this. Sloth, give it here." Sloth tossed a locket to Lust. Lust dangled it in front of her. Harry came over for a closer look. No doubt about it. It was the same locket he saw in the pensieve.

"Did we get it right?" asked Lust. Harry nodded. "Good. Observe." Lust tossed the locket in Gluttony's direction. Gluttony caught it, and put it in his mouth. He bit down, breaking it in half. Gluttony opened his mouth, letting it fall to the ground. The locket glowed momentarily, and everyone felt the presence an evil aura. However, it soon dissolved. Ugly boils popped up on Gluttony's jaw, but they healed within seconds.

"Satisfied?" asked Lust. "Three down, four to go. Let the fact that we're willing to go through all this trouble be a sign of how important the Stone is to us."

"I think they're going to be very useful to us, Jiraiya-dono," Kakashi whispered to the old man.

"Yes, I'll enjoy having them as allies," Jiraiya grinned, darting glances at Lust while scribbled madly into his notebook.

* * *

"Dumbledore and I agreed that the other horcruxes are Voldemort's snake, Hufflepuff's cup, something of Gryffendor or Ravenclaw's, and the last piece is still in his body," said Harry.

The Order of Phoenix was now having a meeting. All of the Weasleys except for Percy and Charlie were present, along with Lupin, Moody, McGonagall and Shacklebolt. Their new allies from Konoha and Amsteris were also there, listening carefully and occasionally offering suggestions. They were all sitting around the dining room table in the Grimmauld place, having just finished dinner. Tonks was not present because she, the last sane relative of Draco Malfoy, had grudgingly obliged to let him stay at her home.

"The first and the last are right," Lust replied. "But the middle aren't. One of the horcruxes is a homunculi called Pride, and the other one is Orochimaru. That's how Voldemort sealed his deal."

"I heard him and that Kabuto kid talking, though," said Envy. "It sounded like Orochimaru passed his portion of a soul to some kid, packaged in a curse mark."

Sakura, Anko, human Hayate and Ibiki immediately turned to look at Sasuke. Lust followed their gaze.

"Did you know that a container of a horcrux always reacts to another one?" she asked.

"Really?" Harry pulled out the locket, which now had a large crack down the middle. He held it by the chain. It started to glow, and swung around crazily. It flew out of his hand, soared all the way to the other end of the table, and stuck itself to Sasuke's neck.

"What the-?" Sasuke attempted to pull it off, but it stayed on. Naruto laughed at him.

"There you go," shrugged Lust. Harry walked over to Sasuke, and felt the evil aura grow stronger. He saw the tomoe on his neck, to which the locket had fixed itself. With a terrible feeling in his stomach, Harry suddenly realized what he'd have to do to destroy the horcrux.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Harry muttered with his hand covering his mouth.

"What's wrong?" asked Sakura.

Hermione caught on as well. "The container for the horcrux has to be destroyed, too. And Sasuke's the container."

"_What!_" Sakura and Ino squealed. They both grabbed Sasuke's arm from either side.

"Maybe not," Shikamaru stated, lazily picking his teeth. "The locket's fixed onto the mark. Maybe it's only the mark that has to be destroyed."

"Yeah," agreed Harry feeling slightly better. "So how do we do this?"

"No," Sasuke clapped his hand over the mark. "I want to keep the mark."

"_Why?_" demanded Kakashi.

"It made me feel so strong… so powerfully…"

"Of course it does!" snapped Moody, pulling out his wand. "You've got a piece of the soul of the most powerful dark wizard in existence! Now move your hand, or I'll curse it off, too!"

"That won't work," Lust told him. "After the first two were destroyed, Voldemort put more attention into the rest of them. But you really _should_ move your hand, little boy. Gluttony?"

Gluttony bounded down the length of the table, drooling eagerly. Sasuke moved his hand just in time as Gluttony chomped down on the mark. He tore a good chunk of skin off, making Sasuke scream in agony. Gluttony crunched up the skin and swallowed it, locket and all. Sakura, Ino and Hinata all turned away, their faces paling. Everyone else looked on in anticipation. There was a moment where all could feel the intense aura of evil, but it evaporated. Repulsive boils appeared and disappeared on Gluttony's jaw as fast as last time. Sasuke's neck was red, raw and bleeding. But the mark did not return.

"Now do you trust us?" Lust asked.

"We acknowledge your usefulness," Harry assured her. "Four down, three to go."

"I think we should call it a night," Mrs. Weasley announced. "Come on, everyone. Let's go upstairs." All the children stood up.

"I'm keeping an eye on these failed scientific experiments," Moody growled, his fake eye swirling around. "Good-night, Molly. We'll be right here if you need us."

"Good-night," chorused everyone, following Mrs. Weasley out into the hall.

"We want to be especially quiet…" Molly started, but she was too late. Naruto yanked on Sakura's hair, making her squeal angrily in pain.

"Mudbloods! Muggles! Befouling the house of my fathers!" an ugly portrait of an old woman screeched. Everyone stared open-mouthed at her. Molly, Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny covered their ears.

"You!" the old woman screamed at Ed, who was standing in front of her, "What are you staring at, you scrimpy little gnome? If I were still alive, I would squish your tiny, squat body to death with my pinkie!"

"_Don't call me short!_" Ed yelled, making his automail pointy and bashing it through the portrait. In his rage, he broke it into a thousand little pieces, shattering the spell that kept it on the wall. All of its pieces fell to the floor, and it sort of gave a cough. Then it spoke no more. Ed glared at everyone else, daring them to insult him. Harry and Ron grinned at each other.

"I think you'll fit in just fine, mate." Ron assured Edward.

* * *

Hermione turned on the light of her room. She held the door open for Temari, Rose and Winry, who were also to share it. They entered one by one. Winry and Rose jumped back and squealed at what awaited them, making Hermione squeal as well. Temari calmly walked over to one of the five beds in the room and plunked her fan on it.

"Gaara! You scared us!" Hermione declared. Luna had retired earlier, and she was sound asleep. Gaara sat cross-legged at the foot of her bed.

"Isn't this the girls' room?" asked Winry.

"Yes, it is," confirmed Hermione. "Gaara, if you don't mind, we'd like to go to bed now,"

"I don't," replied Gaara. "Go."

"This is a _girl's_ room, and you're a _boy_," Hermione tried to argue. "I know you've made friends with Luna, but you don't need to watch over her 24/7. She's safe with us."

"I feel a need to protect her," Gaara's sand started swirling around him. "Do you have a problem with that?" Temari, who didn't want to sleep in a room splattered with blood, gave Hermione a cautionary glare.

"No, no, no," Hermione received Temari's message, but felt obliged to try once more. "It's been a long day, Gaara. You've crossed over to a whole new dimension. Aren't you tired?"

"Yes, a little bit."

"So shouldn't you be going to bed and getting some sleep?"

"Let him be, Hermione." Temari finally interfered. "Sabaku no Gaara never sleeps."

* * *

**Note:** I'm not sure what house Tonks was in, so let's pretend she's in Gryffendor.

I know that in Fullmetal Alchemist, you can't use alchemy in the 'real world', but in this story, you can use magic, alchemy and ninjutsu in all three worlds (makes things a lot easier for me, lol).


	12. Chapter 12

Ed sat on the window ledge in their room, deep in thought. It was dawn, but he had been sitting there the whole night. Al was now getting quite worried about him. Their roommates, Harry and Ron were still snoring soundly.

"Edward?" Al asked. Ed glanced over at his brother. "You seem upset, big brother."

"I am, Al," Ed replied. "It was my fault."

"What?"

"Remember how Winry told us about those Death Eaters that came to our village? She mentioned that they smelt an aura of magic. That was the lingering aura of the human transmutation. _Our_ human transmutation." Ed buried his face in his hands. "It was my fault, Alphonse."

"No it's not, big brother," Al hurried over to comfort Ed. "I helped. It's my fault, too."

Ed shook his head. "It was my idea. Besides, you lost your whole body, while I only lost my arm and leg. A lot of people in Resembool lost their lives because of my stupidity. I'm going to make things right, Al." Ed looked at his younger brother determinedly. "I'm going to make up for what I did. I'll help Harry destroy the Death Eaters. I'll find the Philosopher's Stone, and give your body back. I'll even give a soul to Sloth, the homunculus created from _my_ idiocy. You stay safe, Al. And if I die-"

"Don't say that, big brother!" Al scolded sharply. "I'm coming with you! _We'll_ find the Philosopher's Stone and restore our bodies _together_! _We'll_ help Harry obliterate the evil people that killed our village! We're a team, brother, and don't you dare forget!"

"What's going on?" Harry asked sitting up in his bed.

"I guess you won't change your mind," Ed told Al. Al shook his head stubbornly. They both turned to Harry.

"We pledge our loyalties to the Order of Phoenix." Al told him solemnly. "We'll do whatever we can to eliminate Voldemort and his Death Eaters."

* * *

"G'morning," Ron stumbled into the dining room, yawning. "Wassforbrakfas?"

"Ronald! It's nearly noon!" Mrs. Weasley scolded him. "We're having _lunch._"

"As long as there's still food." Ron shrugged, plopping himself beside Harry. He looked around the table. Everyone was covered in soot, dust and other various blemishes, except for the homunculi and Armstrong (who was as sparkly as ever). "Wow. Why's everyone so dirty?"

"We've been cleaning the house all morning," explained Ginny.

"That's right. We're going to do some more cleaning after we finish eating." Mrs. Weasley added. Shikamaru groaned. "I expect you to do your fair share, Ron."

"Whatever," sighed Ron, turning to his best friend. Harry was shoving food down his throat as fast as Chouji. "Why are you eating so fast, mate?"

"I'm going back to Privet Drive," Harry replied, "I left some things that still have to be packed. Finished! I'll see you later!" Harry scraped back his chair and prepared to leave.

"Wait, Harry!" called Mrs. Weasley. Team Gai stood up. "Gai's team is going to accompany you," Gai nodded, flashing his famous smile.

"Thanks for the offer, but I don't need escorts." Harry answered politely.

"Don't be silly. Voldemort is still after you, and now there's that killer Scar on the loose." Mrs. Weasley answered sternly. "From what I hear, Gai's team is one of the best."

"You bet we are!" Gai announced. "Team! We will protect Harry from all forces of evil!"

"Hai, Gai-Sensei!" Lee replied enthusiastically. Tenten and Neji sweatdropped.

"Take Naruto along, will ya?" Kakashi entered the dining room, dragging the aforementioned Kyubi holder by his collar.

"Why?" questioned Tenten.

"Just do us a favour and take him off our hands," Kakashi answered. At that moment, some tennis balls that Naruto was holding exploded, releasing an explosion of dust, putrid-smelling acid and doxies.

"Naruto! You baka!" Sakura screeched furiously.

"It's not my fault! Fred and George gave them to me!" Naruto argued.

"_**Fred! George!** Get down here this **instant!**"_ Mrs. Weasley shrieked.

Fred and George Apparated on top of the table. "What's up, mum?"

"_What were you **thinking!** Giving those **doxies** to **Naruto!** They're **poisonous!** He could have lost his **hand!**" _Mrs. Weasley's face was as red as her hair, and the veins in her forehead were popping out anime-style._ "Go get the doxy spray! You're going to clean up this mess **right now!"**_ Fred and George happened to be carrying more doxies in their pockets, and they chose that moment to burst out, along with a dozen pixies and some fireworks.

"We'll be leaving!" Harry yelled through the chaos as he and Team Gai dashed outside.

"Bye, Naruto! Behave!" Kakashi said, tossing the blonde boy to Gai. In that state of panic, all five of them reached the outside.

"Okay, I was originally going to go by broomstick, but seeing as how none of you can fly…" Harry furrowed his brow. "How are we supposed to get there?"

"Um, Harry-san?" Hinata exited the house. She was blushing furiously, and seemed very interested in the cracks on the sidewalk. "Is it okay if… can I come, too?"

Harry stared at her. "_Why?_"

"Oh, if you don't want me to, that's fine! I'll probably be too much trouble, anyway! I'm sorry for bothering you!" Hinata's face had gone beyond pink, reaching an intense scarlet only found in strawberries.

"No, I didn't mean it that way," Harry felt a little bad for her lack of self-esteem. "Sure you can come if you want. I'm just wondering why you'd_ want _to. I'm _related_ to the Dursleys and I don't want to see them."

"Oh, I want to come, because…" Hinata darted a look at Naruto, who was picking his nose. "Thanks for letting me come."

"Hey, we're coming, too." Ed, Al and Armstrong bounded out of the house. "No way we're going to clean up."

"Okay?" Harry was very conscious of the fact that bystanders were quickly crossing the street.

"When I heard your sad story, I realized that I _must_ help you!" Armstrong sobbed. "Harry Potter! A child of tragedy! I will do all in my power to make sure you suffer no more!" He proceeded to envelop Harry in a bone-crushing embrace.

"I'm glad to see that I have so much support," said Harry once Armstrong had let go and he could breathe again. "But how are we getting there? I mean, unless some of you learned to Disapparate overnight, we're stuck."

"I have something else I'd like to point out," Neji raised his hand. "We don't need ten people to escort Harry. My team is sufficient enough. I know that some of you, like Edward and Alphonse, can pull your weight, but _others_ will just get in the way." He looked pointedly at Hinata.

"We make better bodyguards than janitors," Ed informed the group.

"Kakashi's making me come with you guys," shrugged Naruto.

"I must protect this tragedy-ridden boy!" sobbed Armstrong, hugging Harry again.

"That leaves you, Hinata-sama," Neji turned toward the girl with a cruel expression on his face. "Are you sure you're up to this? This could be a very dangerous mission. You could die. What a blow that would be to the Hyuga Clan."

"Neji-san…I…I…" Hinata stuttered.

"Oh, leave her alone, Neji. I bet she doesn't want to clean either," Ed interrupted. "Nothing wrong with that. Let her come."

"Oi, Harry! Catch!" Ron stuck his head out the door, and threw a vase at Harry. "Dad made this in a portkey for you. It'll activate in ten seconds." They could hear Mrs. Weasley screaming in the background. Ron winced. "I'd better go. Good luck!"

"That solves the transportation problem," Harry said, holding the vase out. "Okay, everyone. Grab hold." They did as they were told. The vase started to glow and they were swept to the site of Harry's not-so-happy childhood memories.

* * *

Mrs. Petunia Dursley of 4 Privet Drive was enjoying the nice summer day. Her husband was out having lunch with a client, and her son was at a friend's birthday party. She hadn't seen her nephew Harry for nearly three weeks, and that suited her just fine. Petunia herself was tending her garden. Petunia thought smugly to herself that her garden was the best on the block. Her tulips were especially beautiful this year, appearing as a sea of yellow, pink, red and violet. Yup, her lawn was definitely going to win "Best Lawn of the Year".

_Crash!_

Petunia jumped up and spun around. She let out a shriek of horror. _Her tulips were ruined. _Two white-eyed children, a girl with buns on either side of her head, a blonde boy, a thick-browed man wearing spandex and a skinny boy that looked like his son had landed in her sea of beauty. A guy in armor, an extremely buff man and a short, blonde boy had crashed into it, destroying a good portion of her hard work. Standing in midst of it all was her dreaded nephew, holding an ugly blue vase.

"You!" Petunia cried, pointing a finger at Harry.

"Good afternoon, Aunt Petunia," Harry greeted her coldly.

"What are you doing here!" Petunia screeched.

"I'm here to pack up the rest of my stuff, of course," replied Harry. "I'm moving out." Petunia's expression changed dramatically. Her frown was instantly turned upside-down, and her eyes glittered like diamonds. She grinned widely, showing all of her horse-like teeth. After thirty seconds of giddy giggling, she refocused on Harry's escorts.

"What's all this?" she pointed rudely at the ninjas and alchemists.

"I am Gai Maito, the Green Beast of Konoha!" Gai announced, striking his good guy pose.

"And I am his student, Rock Lee!" added Lee.

"I am Major Alex Louis Armstrong!" proclaimed Armstrong, ripping off his shirt and flexing.

"I am Naruto Uzumaki, future Hokage of Konoha!" declared Naruto.

"You really shouldn't have asked," Edward muttered.

"Hi, Mrs. Dursley!" the next-door-neighbour came out of her front door with her gardening tools. She raised her eyebrows at the posse assembled in Petunia's front yard. "Isn't your Dudley a little too old for the circus?"

"It's not for Dudley, it's for… our niece, who's… coming to visit," Petunia lied. "Let's all go inside. Have a good day now, Mrs. Jones!" She grudgingly led the troupe into her house.

"Hurry up and pack," Aunt Petunia commanded Harry after the door shut behind them. The group crowded uncomfortably in the hall. "The rest of you stay here. I'm going to keep an eye on you."

"I'll be right back." Harry promised his escorts, squeezing through the crowd and dashing upstairs. His absence left a clearing in the pack, and Hinata found herself face-to-face with Neji.

"How do you find the exam so far, Cousin Hinata?" Neji regarded her scornfully.

"Fine," Hinata muttered, avoiding his spiteful gaze.

"Of course, not everyone will pass. Do you know why that is, Hinata-sama?" asked Neji. Hinata shook her head. "Because not everyone will live." Hinata gasped.

"Lay off, Neji!" Naruto came to Hinata's rescue. "If a useless jerk like Sasuke can get this far, Hinata-san will do fine!" Hinata blushed.

"Big brother and I will make sure no one gets hurt," Al promised.

"I don't know about. My cousin is a natural at finding trouble. She's also good at coming through unscathed while others take the fall for her, right Hinata?" Neji narrowed his eyes at his cousin. Hinata was quivering. "If you try to defend her, you might get hurt yourself. To achieve the rank of Chuunin is not your fate, Hinata. If you were smart, you would have stayed in Konoha. But if I remember correctly, you're not that smart."

Ed opened his mouth to tell Neji off. At that moment, a very fat blonde boy charged into the house, a look of utmost fury on his face. He slammed the door shut and marched straight up to his mother, not even noticing their guests.

"Mum! Gordon's parents got him a _car_ for his birthday! Where's _mine!_" Dudley shouted in Petunia's face, spit flying out of his mouth.

" But remember that big screen TV we got for your room, Dudders? Besides, isn't Gordon a little too young to drive?" asked Aunt Petunia.

"_I don't care!_ _I want a car! Now!"_ Dudley cried, stomping his foot.

"Why don't we wait until your father gets home, then we'll talk-"

"I want it now or you're _fired!_" Dudley screeched.

"You can't fire me, sweetums, I'm your mother."

"I can so! I want a car! So get me you, you-" _Slap._

Dudley put a trembling hand to his cheek. Edward glared at him, his automail hand raised. There was a large red mark on Dudley's face, which was cut and bleeding in some placed because of the material used to deal such a hard blow.

"Alphonse and I lost our mother 4 years ago. There wasn't a thing we wouldn't have given to get her back," Edward growled. Team Gai and Armstrong exchanged dark looks. Dudley whimpered, stepping back. "So when I think about all that we went through, there's _nothing _I hate more than ungrateful brats like you!" Edward slapped his hand down on the wall, cracking it with a burst of alchemy.

"Well, I'm ready." Harry descended down the stairs.

"Good! Let's go!" Ed pushed his way to the front door and was the first one outside. Hinata and Naruto quickly followed him. Harry raised his eyebrows at Al.

"I'm sorry. I'll try to fix it," Al bowed to the Dursleys. He clapped his hands and transmuted the wall back to normal. "Wow, transmuting without a circle really comes in handy." He bowed to the Dursleys again. "Please don't hold this against my brother. He tends to act without thinking."

"Wow, Harry! Your friends are _freaks!"_ Dudley gasped. "No wonder you get along with them so well!"

"Say what you will, Dudley," Harry pulled his trunk to the front door. "You and I both know my friends could beat your friends any day. Good-bye."

"Finally!" Dudley yelled to Harry and his escorts' retreating backs as they all filed outside. "That's it! Leave and never come back! Freaks!" Tenten threw a kunai at him that just missed his head. Harry considered hitting him with a spell, but something else caught his attention.

A man with white hair was standing on the lawn. He wore sunglasses, and had a large X-shaped scar on his forehead. He was standing beside Hinata, and had placed his right hand on her head. They could not read the expression in his eyes, but the rest of his face was stern and grim. Horrified Hinata was trembling. Naruto was yelling at the man to let Hinata go, and Ed was swearing up a storm.

"Who are you!" demanded Gai. "Let Hinata go right now!"

"Child… I sense unnatural power in your veins," the man said to Hinata. She whimpered.

"Let her go!" Tenten screamed, pitching shurikens at him. They caught his right sleeve, and their weight ripped it along the seam. His bare arm was displayed. There were strange symbols and words tattooed onto it.

"Neji! She's your cousin!" Tenten cried. "Aren't you going to do something?"

Neji crossed his arms. "Why should I? I owe her no favours."

"Heartless idiot!" Naruto yelled.

"Yet you are so young. I do not harm the innocent. Go, and pray we never cross paths again." The man propelled Hinata away. She ran and hid behind Al. He turned to Ed and Armstrong. "But you… Fullmetal and Strong Arm. You are State Alchemists, correct?"

"That's right!" yelled Armstrong, flexing. "You are Scar, the murderer! I will not permit you to harm anyone else! This technique has been passed down my family for many generations!" Armstrong performed his alchemy, and spiky rocks were launched towards Scar. Lee and Gai watched with stars in their eyes. Scar dodged them, but his glasses were knocked off in the process.

"Red eyes!" Edward observed. "You're an Ishbalan!"

"Correct. I am the right hand of Ishbala, and my mission is to avenge my people. I am cleansing the world, one state alchemist at a time." Scar ran over to Ed, and placed his hand on his head. "Fullmetal. I saw you in Central three years ago. You had quit the military. It is unfortunate that you have rejoined."

"What's all this, then!" a car screeched into the driveway. Uncle Vernon got out of it, his face vermilion with rage. He caught sight of Harry, and the tone of his face deepened. "You!"

The distraction gave Ed time to dodge out of Scar's grasp. He transmuted his automail, and aimed a punch at Scar. Scar caught it in his right hand. His tattoo glowed, but nothing happened.

"Why didn't you blow up?" asked Scar.

"This is top-grade automail," Ed smirked.

"A prosthetic limb. I have something designed for that, too." Scar constricted Ed's hand, and his tattoo glowed brighter. With a large explosion, Ed's arm exploded, pieces of metal, wire, screws and whatnot flying every way. Ed stumbled backwards and fell on the ground.

"Brother!" Al cried.

"Leave him alone!" Harry yelled, pointing his wand forward. He squeezed his wand tightly, causing bright sparks to explode out the end of it.

"I will give you time to pray." Scar advanced on Ed. "Good-bye, Fullmetal."

"Stay away!" Ed shielded his face with his other hand. "Stay-" _Screech._

A violently purple triple-decker bus appeared out of nowhere. It parked in the middle of the lawn in front of Ed, knocking Scar down. Uncle Vernon looked outraged. A pimply-faced man stuck his head out the door.

"Harry Potter! Good t'see you again!" he grinned.

"Oh, I summoned the Knight Bus, didn't I?" Harry looked down at his wand. "Hey, Stan! They let you out of Azkaban?"

"Yesterday. They caught Snape. Dementors or not, Azkaban's one place I never want to go again." Stan Shunpike shuddered. "So, what you been up to, Harry?"

"Move now, chat later!" Ed, Alphonse, Hinata and Naruto all pushed their way into the bus.

"These friends of yours?" Stan pointed at Harry's escorts. "Sure have funny clothes."

"They're wizards from… er… Japan and Germany." Harry got onto the bus, with Armstrong and Team Gai following him. Stan shut the door behind them. Harry looked out the window and saw Scar getting up.

"Let's go!" Ed yelled.

"So, how much?" asked Harry after he told him where to go.

"No charge for the Chosen One." Stan smiled toothily at Harry. "Let's go, Ernie!" The bus sprang forward, making Ed, Al, Harry and Armstrong fall.

"Thanks, Stan." Harry told the conductor after he regained his balance, and ushered his friends to the back of the bus.

"Oh, man! Winry's gonna kill me!" Ed exclaimed, pulling at the few wire sticking out of his arm.

"So that was Scar, huh." Gai remarked.

"Yes. I do not understand how he got here, but it is my duty as a state alchemist to capture him," answered Armstrong. Hinata was curled up in her seat beside Naruto, still shaking.

"Too bad he didn't put you out of your misery," Neji scoffed from the seat in front of her.

"I've had enough of you," Ed snarled. "Stop making those comments!"

"What did poor Hinata ever do to you?" Naruto added.

"You're cousins. You're supposed to be nice to each other," Harry scolded him.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you and Dudley cousins, too? Has he ever been nice to you, ever?" Neji glared at Harry, who shook his head. "Then you can think of me as the Dudley to Hinata's Harry. Except I am the one that bears a curse mark." Neji unfastened his headband, revealing a tattoo on his forehead. It was of a small, green X with horizontal lines running on either sides of it. Hinata, Tenten, Lee and Gai all winced, but everyone else looked decidedly unimpressed.

"You got a bad tattoo, and you take it out on your cousin?" Ed scoffed.

"It's not just an ordinary bad tattoo. It represents a bird in a cage. It was carved into my forehead on Hinata-sama's third birthday." Neji clenched his fists. "It is the mark branded on all members of the Branch House of the Hyuga Clan. The Branch that supports the Main House, of which Hinata-sama is part. Our fathers were twins, born two minutes apart. Yet two minutes is all it takes to change one's life. To seal one's fate."

"Why did you get the tattoo?" asked Alphonse.

"The job of the branch is to serve and protect the main house. This mark that remains as long as we are alive, makes sure we do. It seals the secrets of the Byakugan upon our deaths. And with just a hand signal, the main house can destroy our brain cells." Neji spoke grimly. "Hinata-sama could kill me right this second if she wished."

"But she doesn't!" protested Naruto. "Hina-chan you'd never try to kill Neji, would you!" Hinata shook her head, very upset.

"One night, Hinata was kidnapped for her Byakugan. Her father caught the kidnapper and murdered him. He was the head shinobi from Hidden Cloud. Kumogakure demanded that the body of Hiashi-dono be delivered for compensation, and Konoha agreed. Yet Hiashi-dono is still alive and well… do you know why?" Neji glared at Hinata. "My father, Hizashi Hyuga, was sent to die instead of Hiashi. It was his fate to die protecting the main house."

The group was speechless. Neji regarded their expressions of shock with a satisfaction.

"Fate. Our destinies have been set for us since we were born. It is my destiny to live as a mere servant for the main house, regardless of my talents. I cannot change it, and I cannot escape. In the same way, it was your fate to be the Chosen One, Harry Potter. It is your fate to defeat, or be defeated by the ultimate evil. Everyone in this bus, in this city, in the world- in _all_ of our worlds have a path set for them. It is one they must follow for the rest of their lives. Some are destined to be wealthy and grand, while others like me are fated to be servants." Neji narrowed his eyes. "There is only one fate that everyone shares, and that is _death_."

"That's bull!" Edward retorted. "Humankind cannot gain without first giving in return. Everything we have, we've gained from sacrificing something else. It's not fate, it's called Equivalent Exchange. Sure, some people start off with a richer and higher than others, but that can always change! If we sacrifice enough, if we work hard and believe, we can gain anything! There is no such thing as destiny!"

"Like fate, death is unavoidable. Yet there are those who try to defy it, aren't there, Edward, Alphonse?" Neji sneered at the Elrics.

"How did you…?" Al gasped.

"You promised you wouldn't use this against them! Hughes told Gai and Gai told us," explained Tenten, smacking Neji.

"Those that are smart follow the direction of the path set for them. You tried to bring your mother back to life, even though it was her time to die. And in doing so, your body was broken, Ed. Al… you are now nothing more than an empty shell." Neji bit his lip. "It's useless to try and escape. We are tied down to one inescapable destiny, and we must walk down one path until we die." Ed opened his mouth to argue. The bus suddenly came to a shrieking halt.

"Your stop!" Stan called from the front. The group solemnly departed the bus.

"Harry! Ed! Al! Are you okay?" Winry was waiting for them at the door. She saw Ed's arm, and her eyes widened with horror. "_What did you do to your automail!_"

"Well, the murderer Scar from Central showed up at Harry's house, attempted murder on Hinata, and then blew it up," Ed shrugged. "Can you fix it?"

"If we were in our world, that'd be no problem," Winry told him. "But we're not. Let me see your leg. Is it okay?" Ed rolled up his pant leg and Winry checked it over. Moody limped into the hall, accompanied by Mrs. Weasley.

"Edward!" Mrs. Weasley gasped.

"I noticed that you had prosthetics, too," he growled. "At your age, eh? Tough. But what happened?"

"Scar," Ed grumbled. Harry proceeded to fill him in on the events.

"You can move it?" Moody asked.

"Yes, because it's directly connected to his nerves," Winry explained.

"So it's almost as good as natural."

"Oh, it's _better_ than natural!" Winry's eyes lit up as it always did when she was talking about automail. "Like I always say, who needs natural when you've got automail?"

"Mechanical geek," Ed muttered.

"Alchemy freak!" Winry snapped.

"You must really like automail," Moody commented.

"I do! I love it! Making automail is what I do for a living! We have a whole workshop back in Resembool! Or had…" Winry looked away. Ed and Al exchanged sad looks as well.

"Tell you what, Winry," Moody finally broke the silence. "I feel that my prosthetic is outdated. I can conjure up workshop, if you provide me with an automail leg."

"Really?" Winry brightened up.

"Yes. Your friend looks like he could benefit from it too," Moody glanced at Ed.

"That's great! How soon can you get it?" Winry chirped.

"Well, I'm not sure, but…"

"Let's go right now! I know there's some space in the basement!" Winry smiled, dragging Ed towards the stairs. Moody glanced over at Mrs. Weasley.

"That's fine with me. We can't let poor Edward walk around like that," Mrs. Weasley grimaced at the wires and whatnot protruding from Ed's torn sleeve. Moody followed Winry and Ed. She looked at the rest of the crew. "We're about to have dinner."

"Yes!" Naruto cheered. "I'm so hungry I could eat an elephant!" The group walked towards the dining room.

"Neji," Alphonse got in line behind the white-eyed boy.

"Yeah?"

"Human transmutation is the ultimate sin. You're right. We paid dearly for it." Alphonse told him. "I am also a bird trapped in a cage. The cage of a body that doesn't fit. I can't smell, I can't taste, and I can't feel. I can't even die. I don't remember anything, and sometimes, I'm not sure if I really exist. I want to escape. Just like you, Neji."

"Like me?" Neji raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," nodded Alphonse. "You said that it's the job of the branch house to protect the main. Yet you didn't try to protect Hinata. That was cruel, but it proves you want to escape your 'fate'. Our situations are different. The cages trapping us are also different. But we're similar because we both want to break free."

"Didn't you hear me before? You can't escape your fate, no matter how hard you try!" Neji replied angrily.

"Maybe it's just a goal that I'll never reach. Maybe I'll be stuck like this forever." Al shrugged. "Either way, I have to try. I want to escape. Don't you?"

Neji scowled, but Al saw his head dip down in a nod.


	13. Chapter 13: On the Hogwarts Express

So we're finally on our way to the great Hogwarts," Anko commented.

She sat in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express. Sloth, Wrath and Iruka sat across from her, while Winry and Rose sat beside her. It was very noisy outside, but their compartment was uncomfortably quiet. Sloth was looking out the window wistfully, and Wrath glared at each inhabitant with hate. Winry and Rose were whispering to each other.

"There are certainly alot of people. Some of them are going to have a hard time finding seats." commented Iruka.

"Aren't you glad we got here early?" Anko raised her eyebrows at Iruka. "Is the door locked? We don't need anyone finding about these freaks-of-nature homunculi."

"That's not nice," Iruka reprimanded her, looking up from Hermione's copy of _'Hogwarts, A History' _that she'd lent him. "The homunculi have already helped us a lot."

"Yeah, yeah." Anko made a face. A large blast sounded, and the scenery outside the window began to move.

"Finally!" Anko sighed. "I thought we were never gonna leave!"

"So we'll meet up with the others beside the lake?" Iruka asked.

"That's what they said," confirmed Anko.

"I wonder where they all went off to?"

"Who cares?" yawned Anko. "I was up all night, keeping guard. I'm going to take a nap. Look up from your book and make sure the freaks don't escape, okay, Bookworm?"

"Fine," Iruka turned back towards his book. He was amazed at how well Hermione had taken care of it. It seemed that, in many ways, she was just as mature as he.

* * *

"Oh man! I am so hungry!" Chouji complained loudly.

"Shut up! You're so annoying!" Shikamaru grumbled from beside him.

"You're both annoying! How come I couldn't be in Sasuke's group? Or Ron's? Or Draco's?" Ino, sitting beside the window on Shikamaru's other side, giggled at the thought of all her current crushes.

"Well, my brother and Hermione are with the other prefects," Ginny, who sat across from them, informed Ino. "I think that Sasuke and Draco are with Harry."

"Draco Malfoy? He's back?" a shy boy with brown hair asked from beside Ginny. He cradled a large plant on his lap, and held a toad in his hand. Ino grimaced at him.

"McGonogall-sama explained the situation to the Ministry, but she doesn't trust him much," Asuma explained. "Kakashi is keeping an eye on him and the Potter boy."

The trolley lady came by, opening the compartment door. "Anything off the trolley, dears?"

"Oh boy! Everything!" Chouji drooled, jumping up from his seat and stuffing them into his mouth. His teammates sweatdropped while Ginny and Neville looked on in shock.

"Chouji, if you keep on eating like that, you're going to weigh a million pounds by the time we get back," Asuma told his student, counting out some money given to him by the Order.

"Sasuke's sure lucky he doesn't have to deal with this. I should be sitting with him!" whined Ino. "Sakura gets to sit with _both _Sasuke and Draco! Stupid billboard brow!"

* * *

"Are we there yet?" asked Naruto.

"No," replied Kakashi, who sat across from him reading _Icha Icha Paradise_.

"Are we there yet?"

"Not for at least another three hours," answered Harry, sitting beside him.

Hedwig sat on his shoulder, intently observing her owner's new friends. Pidwidgeon was flying around the coach in a style as restless as Naruto felt. Crookshanks was curled up on Malfoy's lap. To his surprise, Harry had found himself getting along with Draco. They hadn't argued a bit, and his former enemy was sitting beside him quite peacefully. They weren't getting on each other's nerves at all. In fact, the only thing that was getting on Harry's nerves was Naruto.

"Are we there yet?"

"Would you shut up?" snapped Sasuke, who sat beside Kakashi and sported a large red wound where Gluttony had bitten him.

"Are we there yet?"

"Shut up, Naruto!" Sakura yelled from beside Sasuke.

"Awww! I'm so bored!" whined Naruto. "It's lunchtime, isn't it? Can I eat?"

"If it'll keep your mouth shut," Kakashi tossed every paper bag lunches.

"What? What's this? Sandwiches, again? I want my ramen!" Naruto complained. "I miss ramen so much!"

"Bloody hell, Naruto! Let us have some peace, will you?" Draco requested. "You're even more annoying than Pansy Parkinson!"

Speak of the devil! The door to the compartment suddenly burst open, revealing an ugly girl with a pug-like face. Her eyes lit up when she caught sight of Malfoy.

"Drakey! It's so good to see you!" she shrieked. "I was so worried that you weren't going to be back, but you are!" she jumped onto Malfoy's lap, sending a yowling Crookshanks off. Draco looked at Kakashi hopelessly.

"I'm sorry, young miss," Kakashi told Pansy. "This compartment is full."

"I can sit right here, on Drakey's lap," Pansy argued, snuggling up to him. Draco looked repulsed.

"This compartment is full," Kakashi replied firmly.

"Who the hell are you?" Pansy looked up to glare at the inhabitants of the cubicle. She took in their appearances and outfits. A look of shock registered on her face. "My mum told me about you. You're… the foreign muggle freaks the ministry hired?"

"Hai," nodded Kakashi. "You must be Pansy-san, Draco's friend. This compartment is full."

"Okay! See ya, Drakey!" Pansy bounded out of the compartment.

"That is one foul girl," Sasuke observed.

"She kinda looks like you, Sasuke," Naruto snickered.

"Shut up, Narutard!" Sakura punched him.

"This is going to be one _long_ ride," Harry sighed.

* * *

"A lot of people showed up," Tonks commented.

"I guess the reliable reinforcements comforted the parents," Roy crossed his arms smugly. "If this mission doesn't get me a promotion, I don't know what will." Falman and Havoc sweatdropped.

A group of 5th year girls opened the door of their compartment.

"Oh… you're full," their leader, a girl with shiny black hair named Romilda Vane, looked disappointed.

"Your clothes… are you the foreigners the ministry hired?" asked one of Romilda's friends.

"Yes. I am Colonel Roy Mustang, and these are my subordinates, Warrant Officer Vato Falman and Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc," Roy introduced. All three saluted Romilda's crew.

"I'm Tonks, the new Transfiguration teacher," Tonks told them.

"Lust… the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," Lust glanced over at the lazily. She flashed them an eerie smile.

"Can I eat them, Lust? Can I? Can I?" Gluttony panted.

"No, Gluttony. Not as long as they behave." Lust flashed them her creepy grin again.

"We will, Professor Lust, ma'am! Good-bye!" Romilda and her cronies saluted their new teachers, and slammed the door shut. Lust smirked.

"I think I'll like my new job," Lust told a drooling Gluttony.

* * *

"It's getting dark," Al observed. "It sure is creepy."

"It must be all the monsters and such that the Death Eaters are setting loose," Edward shrugged.

"I'm a little scared," Hinata confessed.

"Don't worry. My big brother and Kurenai-sama will protect us all," Al promised.

"That's right. He's a State Alchemist, and I'm a Jounin. Between the two of us, no harm will come to you," Kurenai assured Hinata.

"What an awful atmosphere," Shino commented. "Even the most resilient mosquito would not venture outside,"

"It's really cold, isn't it?" observed Kiba. Akamaru whimpered loudly from inside Kiba's shirt. Kiba listened with patience.

"What is it, Akamaru?" asked Hinata.

"He says that something's coming," replied Kiba. "Something very unpleasant."

* * *

"Tonight is very cold," Ibiki commented.

"Every night is cold here," Riza answered, polishing her gun. "Every night holds unknown dangers. That's why we have to be prepared."

"How useless. I can't believe Lust dragged me into this." Envy complained. "I'd rather be working solo."

"Don't you want the Philosopher's Stone?" asked Fuery, stroking Black Hayate, who was sitting on his lap. Breda, stuck between him and Envy, were trying to sit an equal distance away from the homicidal homunculus and the dog.

"Not to become human," answered Envy. "I'm was content to follow Dante and kill. There's someone in _particular_ that I want dead."

Fuery and Breda exchanged creeped out looks.

"All three of you work in the military?" asked Ibiki. "I do too, in a way. What is it like for you?"

"Oh it's good," Fuery told him. "Our superior, Mustang's always after getting promoted, but he's a good man."

"We're very loyal. We'd follow him to the end of the earth," agreed Breda.

"We already have," Riza added.

"Oh, that reminds me of something, Lieutenant," Fuery recalled. "On the day that we met Harry, we were on our way to deliver a package."

"That's right!" Breda remembered, pulling a package out of his jacket and handing it to Riza. "It's a new product that they developed in researching. They wanted us to sample it."

"What is it?" Riza asked, opening the box that Riza proceeded to unfasten. It contained rows and rows of coloured bullets lined up, ready to use. There were patterns carved onto each.

"Alchemical bullets," Breda explained. "Each one triggers an alchemical reaction when it hits the target. I think it imitates Scar's alchemy, you know, with blowing the brain up?"

"Interesting," Riza emptied one of her guns, and went to fill it with the alchemical bullets. She resumed polishing her guns, her face taking on a sadistic grin. "Thank you, Kain and Heymans. I look forward to trying them out."

"I see that you're strong, and you do not depend on others. I respect that," Ibiki told Riza. "Why did you join the military?"

"There is someone that I need protect." Riza scowled, polishing her gun a little harder. "Now more than ever, that stupid, stubborn man."

Fuery and Breda smirked at each other. Any dumbass could figure out whom she was talking about. Ibiki, who was closer to the 'genius' end of the spectrum than 'dumbass', nodded in comprehension. Envy kept on sulking. Black Hayate suddenly gave a loud yelp. He shivering, and ran over to Ibiki, jumping into his jacket like Akamaru did with Kiba.

"Hayate! Cut it out!" Riza commanded sharply. Black Hayate snuggled deeper into the master interrogator's jacket, as if he knew he was safe there.

"It's okay!" Ibiki replied, patting the adorable animal. Breda shuddered, envisioning a dog crawling into his shirt. "He's shivering. Something's scaring him."

"Why's it so cold all of the sudden?" Breda asked.

"Why did the lights turn off?" Fuery whimpered.

"Dogs are usually good at sensing these things, but homunculi are better," Envy turned to them. They could see the light of the moon bouncing off his pointy grin. He crackled his knuckles. "At last, I am allowed to kill."

* * *

"So these Crumple-Horned Snorklaks are found commonly in a place called 'Scandinavia'?" Hayate Gekko asked, sipping Luna's coughing medicine. He pointed to a picture of an ugly beast with a crumpled horn and many moles.

"Yes!" Luna nodded. "Many people don't believe in them, but daddy and I found concrete proof on our last trip to Sweden. He's the editor of this magazine, you know."

"You mean he _was,_" Kankurou pointed out.

"Yes, I guess so," Luna's face was brave, but Gaara and Hayate, who sat on either side of her, saw her quivering.

"Kankurou! Don't be so insensitive!" Even Temari, who was quite insensitive herself, knew that he'd gone too far.

"Just pointing out the obvious," her little brother shrugged.

"Apologize," Temari's other little brother glared at him. "Or I'll kill you."

"Okay, okay! Sorry, Luna!"

"Oh, that's okay," Luna smiled at him. "I'm used to insensitive people. I'll probably be reminded of his murder many times over the course of this school year."

"You don't have very nice classmates, do you?" Hayate asked, concerned.

"No. They enjoy hiding my things and teasing me. When I first came here, I would cry, but I'm used to it now." Luna shrugged. "I always hope they'll be nicer, but they never are. If any of you see my things lying around, you will return them, won't you? I do lose much of my schoolwork that way."

"Not anymore," Gaara muttered. "I'll teach them not to."

"Now, now, don't be so hasty," Temari told Gaara. "We'll get in trouble for murder, remember?"

"What about the teachers there?" Jiraiya looked up from an adult book he was reading. "Are they young and beautiful?"

"Jiraiya-sama!" Hayate reprimanded him. Temari and Kankurou edged away from the old pervert.

"It's for my research!" Jiraiya quarreled

"Professors Lust and Tonks are young, but I think all the other teachers are over 50," replied Luna. Jiraiya shuddered. The lights suddenly went out.

"What the hell?" Temari gasped.

"Look! There's ice on the windows!" Kankurou observed.

"Oh, this happened once in my third year," Luna recalled.

"What happened after?" Hayate asked.

"Dementors came."

"Um… what are dementors?" whimpered Kankurou.

"They're dark creatures that can suck your soul," Luna enlightened him. "They float and wear big black cloaks. Like that one."

She pointed at the door. Everyone (except for Gaara) turned to it fearfully. A big, scabbed hand opened it from the outside. The aura of evil was stronger than ever. And there, the creature that Luna described, stood in all its ugly, cloaked glory. Something inside Gaara writhed, pulling him to it. He stood up.

"Sit down!" Hayate commanded.

"Didn't you hear her? It can take your soul!" Jiraiya barked.

Gaara ignored them, and kept on walking towards it. Jiraiya caught his wrist. Gaara easily pulled it out of his grasp. The dementor reached the red-haired boy before the other way around. It started sucking, and the air became cold enough to store meat. Gaara's eyes widened. He didn't have many happy memories, but the handful he possessed was being torn away from him. He held on to them. He gripped on, but the dementor was too strong. They were quickly taken. Suddenly, Gaara could hear the children that were afraid of him. He could hear Yashamaru's voice. No one loved him… no one…

"Little brother!" Temari screamed.

The dementor placed his face between its hands, and lowered its cloak. It clamped its fowl mouth onto his jaws. Gaara could feel every last bit of warmness drain out of him. He could hear the dementor speak.

"_What's the point?_" the dementor asked. "_Why do you hold on to your humanity when you were created to be a monster?"_

"_Give up your soul and let me have this body,_" the Shukaku hissed._ "No one loves you. No one ever will. You live to kill. You exist as a weapon; you are an experiment gone wrong. I'll show them all. Give me this body, and I'll kill all of them for you."_

"_Give me your soul…"_

"_Give me your body…"_

"_Give me…"_

"_Expecto Patronum!" _

Gaara suddenly felt his head clear. The pain inside him subsided. The last thing he saw was something silver chase the cloaked figure away, before he collapsed to the floor.

"Don't let him pass out!" Temari commanded.

"Get up, Gaara!" Kankurou pulled his brother onto the bench.

"The… dementor…" Gaara shivered.

"A silver butterfly chased it away," replied Hayate. "Are you okay? What should we do?"

"Here. Eat." Luna produced a thick bar of chocolate that she'd purchased just yesterday. She broke off a piece, and handed it to Gaara. He suspiciously put it in his mouth. Almost instantly, warmness spread through him. It was delicious. Luna handed pieces out to the rest of the compartment, and gave the rest to Gaara. He finished it in one bite, reminiscent of Gluttony.

"I think I'd better check how the others are doing," Hayate announced.

"No! Stay here, Hayate-nii-san," Luna replied. "You don't know magic. You haven't the method to chase them away. What if they take your soul?"

"The others will be fine," asked Temari. "Most of them, like that shorty from Amsteris, are pretty strong. Even if they don't look it."

* * *

"Hey! What's the big idea!" Maes Hughes shouted angrily.

"We're in the middle of a game!" Gai yelled.

"It's too late! I'm already forever scarred!" Neji cried.

Hughes, Gai, Lee, Armstrong, Neji and Tenten, had ended up in one compartment. The first two had spent the morning exchanging stories of Elycia and Team Gai, which they found hilarious but Neji didn't. Armstrong had been giving Lee pointers on how to get a 'beautiful body' like his. Neji and Tenten tried to discuss the upcoming year, but that soon proved impossible. Shortly after the four took their afternoon naps (during which Neji and Tenten had finally gotten some peace), Armstrong had proposed, to Neji's horror, a game of strip poker. Neji and Tenten had tried to avert their eyes as much as possible (in case you want to know, Gai was losing), until the lights had suddenly shut off.

"Anyone else feel cold all of a sudden?" Lee asked.

"Put your pants back on!" Neji snapped.

"Actually, Neji, I feel a little cold, too," Tenten rubbed her arms. "Look. The windows are frozen."

"I'm not joking! Put your clothes back on! I can still see you!" Neji commanded.

"That's a good idea. It's getting awfully cold," Hughes agreed. To Neji's relief, everyone redressed.

"Neji…?" Tenten inched away from her her teammate.

"What?"

"The door… behind you…"

A scabby hands grabbed Neji 'round the shoulders. He was spun around, to face a large figure in black robes. It lowered its hood, showing an ugly, skull-like face. Neji couldn't help but scream like a little girl. He passed out. The others caught sight of it, too.

"What is _that!" _Hughes grimaced.

"McGonogall-sama mentioned something that fits its appearance. I believe it is called a dementor?" replied Gai. The closest person to Neji was Armstrong. The dementor lowered its hood.

"Eeek! The ugliness!" Armtrong shrieked, fainting.

Lee was next. The dementor took hold of his face, and started to lower his uncloaked face to Lee's. Lee felt the happy memories he created with Gai drain out of him. He was brought back to his younger days, when the children made fun of him. He remembered being excluded in every one of their games, he remembered the name calling and the beatings. He went back further in time, remembering something long forgotten. He remembered the circle…

"_Just stand in the middle of the circle, boy," a snake-like man instructed._

"_Why?" a very young Lee asked._

"_Just do as I say. I'll give you candy!"_

"_Okay!" Lee walked into the chalk drawing. He walked past the runes and figures, right into the middle._

" _I stumbled across this cirlce by accident, and now I have reason to believe there is a universe parallel to ours. You're going to open the gate for me." The snake-man made strange hand signals, and pressed down onto the circle. It started to glow. "Tell me what you see!"_

_A hole opened up beneath him. Lee screamed. Black hands pulled him down, ripping pieces and chunks off his body. Above him, the snake-man winced, obviously making a mental note to not try that himself. _

_Lee spun through the darkness, losing contiousness. When he came to, he was standing in a place with a bright, white, light. He saw a pale outline of a human-like thing standing in front of him._

"_Yo," the figure waved._

"_Who are you? Where's the snake-man? Where's my candy?" Lee demanded._

"_I am the truth. I am everything. And I am… you!" the figure pointed at him._

"_Um… how do I get out of here?"_

"_See those doors?" the figure pointed behind him. "It holds all the knowledge of the world. Go ahead, open it."_

_Lee spun around. Indeed, there was a huge set of double doors standing there. They were beautifully carved with even more runes and ancient drawings on them than the circle that brought him there. The doors… Lee stepped towards them… he tentitively reached out a small hand to open them… everything was revealed to him for a few seconds… the doors… the gate… the truth…_

"Go away!" Lee yelled, clapping his hands together. Bright blue light emmited from his palms. The dementor also burst into light. It hung in midair for a moment, brilliantly azure. Then, it exploded. Scraps of cloth floated down onto the ground.

"Lee? You did that thing that Edward can do!" Hughes gasped.

"I remember everything now!" announced Lee.

"_Wow… that was awesome!" Lee exclaimed as the doors snapped back shut. "I wanna go again!" _

"_Not so fast. There's a passage fee for coming here. It's called Equivalent Exchange. You have to pay for what you saw." The figure explained. "I'll take your payment now."_

_Lee screamed. Something inside him was literally being torn out. Lee stumbled back, gasping._

"_Huh. You sure got off lightly. One woman lost her internal organs. It's only your Chakra system. You'll live. Who needs Ninjutsu and Genjutsu if you can do alchemy without a transmutation circle?" said the figure. "Well, if you remember this meeting, of course. I hope this experience has been enlightening. Now, run along."_

"And that's why I could only do Taijutsu," Lee explained to his compartment.

"That explains a lot," Gai nodded solemnly.

"You've grown really strong in Taijutsu. And now, alchemy… wow." Tenten looked at Lee with newfound respect. All the lights suddenly flipped back on.

"_We've almost arrived at Hogwarts!"_ Hermione's microphoned voice flooded over the train. "_Please remain seated! Prefects will be coming around shortly to check the well-being of the students! Please don't panic! Please remain seated!"_

Of course, no one listened. All hell broke loose outside in the aisles.

Harry rushed out of his compartment. He pushed past other students, bumping into Winry. "Winry! Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?"

"No, no, I'm fine!" Winry replied. "It's Rose! Rose passed out!"

"What!" Ron roared. "I'm going right now!" He sped off down the aisle.

"Ron!" Winry called. "Our compartment's right here!" Ron ran back, wrenching the door open. Rose was lying unconscious on the floor. He rushed over and tried to shake her awake.

"Is her soul still there?" Ron demanded. "Did the dementor try to kiss her?"

"No. It came in and lowered its hood, making her faint. Then, Wrath performed some alchemy on it, and it exploded," said Iruka.

"Yes. It seems that those creatures can be killed using alchemy,"Ibiki said as he and Riza arrived.

"One alchemical bullet is better than ten minutes of Envy trying to rip the dementor apart," Riza looked at her alchemical-bulletsloaded gun lovingly.

"_Everyone! Back to your seats! **Now!**"_ Hermione shrieked, walking down the aisles with her wand. Everyone kept on ignoring her. Hermione passed by Roy Mustang's compartment.

"May I borrow that?" Lust came out and took her wand.

"Okay?"

"_Everybody! This is your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Solaris Lust! We will arrive at Hogwarts shortly! You have thirty seconds to go back to your seats! Anyone caught out of their seats after those thirty seconds will be feeding Gluttony! **With their own flesh!**_" Lust, Hermione and Gluttony began a patroll of the aisles. Gluttony's manical expression and Lust's sinister demeanor encouraged everyone to hurry back.

"Wow," Hermione looked at the homunculus admirably.

"If I am going to teach, they are going to listen," Lust smirked.

* * *

**Note:** It should be noted that everything I know about guns came from watching "Bowling for Columbine". X( 


	14. Chapter 14: Sorting the Guards

"My word! What on earth happened to you!" Professor McGonogall demanded to Chouji, Shikamaru and Ino as they stepped out of their boat. Both were soaked to the bone. With the exception of Lust and Gluttony, all the newcomers had been given the job of crossing the lake with the first years. Some, like Neji, Tenten and Riza, had done their jobs quite well, and others hadn't.

"She pushed me in," snarled Chouji.

"He pulled me in after him!" whined Ino.

"I fell in after I tried to fish them out," Shikamaru grumbled.

"Something big with long tentacles pushed them out," Asuma added.

"Never mind that," McGonogall dried them off with a spell. "All Konohans, Sunagakureans and Amsterians to the back of the line! Homunculi, you stay at the front with me. All first years line up single-file and follow me!" Everyone scrambled to follow the commands of the no-nonsense headmistress. "Everything under control, Hagrid?"

"Yes ma'am," Hagrid called, tying up the boats.

"Good! Everybody, follow me!" McGonogall started off towards the castle with a small parade following her. She led the students, ninja, Amsterians and homunculi into the colossal building, stopping once they reached the Great Hall. It was crowded once more. It seemed that every student had returned. McGonogall went up to the microphone to deliver her message. "Welcome to another year of Hogwarts. The sorting will now begin. Will the Amsterians, homunculi, Sunagakureans and Konohans step aside for just a moment. The First Years will stand in front of the stool. When your name is called, please sit on it and put on the hat."

"_Ahem!_" the hat cleared its throat.

"Oh, right. The hat has a poem to deliver."

"_A thousand years I have lived_

_Millions of things I have seen_

_The joy of peace I have known_

_And the ugliness that warfare brings._

_The evil we face now brings fear_

_But it has brought together friends_

_Allies that were once strangers_

_Will now together defend_

_We are from separate worlds_

_Now we battle as one_

We must join forces and arms 

_And be brave until the villains are gone_

_Things will not be easy_

_The road is drab from now on _

_Nevertheless, do not give up_

_Remember, it's darkest before dawn_

_We must not dawdle_

_Time we have not much_

_We must go and save the worlds _

_From this foul, evil touch_

_So fearlessly go forth together_

_Go as one and fight_

_Do not waste by arguing _

_Or it'll be too late for what's right_."

The Great Hall erupted into applause. When they finally calmed down, McGonogall had the first years sorted. She gave a short speech, introduced the new teachers, and dinner started. But the ninja, Amsterians and homunculi remained standing, looking rather awkward. All eyes lingered on them, even though delicious-smelling food had popped up on the tables.

"I want any human 15 and under to come forward," she announced. She counted all of them. "Okay, Alphonse, you can go back. You too, Winry. Don't worry, you won't have to be a guard. The rest of you write your names down."

McGonogall swished her wand. Pieces of paper and quills floated in front of each child. They took them uncertainly, following her instruction. McGonogall summoned up four pieces of paper and a quill for herself, and wrote the names of each house on a parchment. When they were done, she took the Sorting Hat and turned it around. She put each of the articles with the house names in, and passed it around, collecting the names. When it was passed back, she held onto the mouth and swished it madly. After thirty seconds of that, McGonogall set the hat back down on the bench, except on its side. The Hall watched expectantly. After a few seconds, the hat gave a great wheeze.

"Gryffendor!" it called out, and the paper with the name written on propelled out of the end. It exploded into fireworks that spelled the word, just as its successors would. "Hinata Hyuga! Sasuke Uchiha! Kankurou of the Sand! Neji Hyuga!" The Gryffendor table burst into applause.

"That is the house you will be guarding. I will give you more information after dinner. Please go take a seat." McGonogall instructed them. The Genin marched over and seated. Hinata sort of hid herself between Hermione and Ginny, trying to avoid Neji's gaze.

"Ravenclaw! Shino Aburame! Tenten! Gaara of the Sand! Shikamaru Nara!" Gaara plunked himself down beside Luna, shoving aside a shocked student who was always rude to Luna. When the student tried to protest, Gaara gave him a sharp glare to let him know who was boss.

"Hufflepuff! Kiba Inuzuka and Akamaru! Rock Lee! Sakura Haruno! Chouji Akimichi!"

Chouji bounced over to the table, starting his dinner as soon as he sat down.

"Slytherin! Naruto Uzumaki! Temari of the Sand! Ino Yamanaka! Edward Elric!"

Ino shrieked in glee, practically Apparating to a spot beside Draco Malfoy. Edward couldn't help but notice that they didn't look too friendly. Temari could hear snippets of whispered conversation, containing the words "dirt" and "muggles". The rest of the ninjas, Amsterians and homunculi were invited over to the teachers' table. Dinnertime flew by, especially for Chouji, who was quite enjoying the food there. Finally, the dishes were cleared. Attention was directed back to the front.

"Are we going to sing the Hogwarts song?" asked a student.

"No. It has been a long day. The prefects will now take you to your rooms. Will the guards please come here? The teachers and I want to talk to all of you."

When the doors of the Great Hall slammed shut, McGonogall looked at everyone sternly.

"These are the people you will be guarding. Their parents have entrusted them in your care. What we face is not something to be taken lightly. Before I begin telling you of your duties, do you have any questions?"

"What if Scar comes back? We're just _kids._ We can't beat him!" Naruto yelled.

"I will address that issue later. I would like the children to move aside for a moment. I will now divide the remaining adults in three groups." McGonogall counted them, and then wrote on a piece of parchment. "Okay, listen carefully! Shift 1, line up over there to my right, Shift 2, line up here, and Shift 3, line up there to the left when I call your names!"

The military and ninjas saluted here.

"Shift 1! Alex Louis Armstrong! Kakashi Hatake! Asuma Sarutobi! Ibiki Morino! Alphonse Elric! Riza Hawkeye!" The assortment of guards rushed over to form a line.

"Shift 2! Iruka Umino! Anko Mitarashi! Vato Falman! Roy Mustang! Jean Havoc! Jiraiya!" They formed another line. Jiraiya looked around, disappointed that the number of beautiful women legal for him to flirt with was very few.

"Shift 3! Maes Hughes! Maito Gai! Hayate Gekko! Kurenai Yūhi! Kain Fuery! Heymans Breda!" They owner of the names followed the last line. Rose was still left, and she stood there rather uncomfortably, waiting.

"Rose and Winry, you will not be guarding the school. I know that you are only innocent citizens of Amsteris. You will be under my protection." McGonogall now turned to the homunculi. "Gluttony, Lust has requested that you be her assistant. Now, as for the rest of you… Mr. Filch, do you still require an assistant?"

"Always!" the caretaker replied gruffly.

"Good. Envy, you will be Mr. Filch's assistant. Sloth, you can be my assistant. And Wrath… Hagrid, will you make Wrath your assistant?"

"Sure," the groundskeeper replied.

"Fine. The Dark Lord has grown stronger, and gained allies. Dangerous allies. No one is safe, not even you, the guards. For increased safety, I'm putting all of you on the buddy system."

"The what?" Edward asked.

"All of you- even the adults- will choose a partner from their group. You will be doing your patrols together. I would like you to choose your partner before we go any further."

"Hey, bean sprout, wanna be partners?" Temari elbowed Ed.

"Don't call me short!" Ed snarled. "Why the hell would I wanna be partners with you?"

"Look at your other options," Temari pointed out. Naruto was exploring the interior of his nose, and Ino was trying to get Kankurou to switch partners. Ed quickly agreed.

"Let's be partners, Hinata-sama," Neji requested of his cousin.

"Um… if it's okay with you… I'd rather…"

"Kankurou and Sasuke already partnered up," Neji informed her. Hinata looked around hopelessly, confirming the truth in his words. She reluctantly complied.

"I'll be your partner, Mustang-kun!" Anko announced. Much to Riza's displeasure, Roy complied.

"Riza? Would you like to be my partner?" Ibiki asked.

"Fine," shrugged Riza. And so, after five very noisy minutes, everyone had formed teams of two.

"The people who will be guarding the houses will be keeping guard the whole day. Some will patrol on even days, and some, on odd. You will be staying up all night, and the next day, you will sleep while the other team patrols. The teachers and prefects of the houses will be patrolling the corridors, so you needn't worry about that. We will start tomorrow. You can discuss who patrols on which days later, with the others in your group." McGonogall continued. "Shift 1 will be patrolling the outside from 11 p.m.to 7 a.m. Shift 2: 7 a.m.to 3 p.m. Shift 3: 3 p.m.to 11 p.m. Stay with your partners. Teams should try to spread out and cover the whole grounds, except the forest. You start tomorrow as well. Any questions?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"Good. The heads of the houses will take their guards to the common rooms. I will show the rest of you the rooms you will be staying in for the duration of your visit here. I appreciate your cooperation. See you tomorrow." McGonogall saluted everyone, and they saluted her back.

They went their separate ways in the hallway. McGonogall led the adults to a different part of the school, where she had the House Elves prepare beds, closets, and other assorted necessities. They passed talking paintings, moving armor, and ghosts. The Bloody Baron passed particularly close to Riza, nearly giving her a heart attack.

"Weird," she commented to Jean. "I thought I just saw Fuhrer King Bradley."


	15. Chapter 15: The First Day of School

"First class of the year. Defense Against the Dark Arts with Lust," said Harry.

"I don't remember so many people taking it last time," Ron commented. He and his friends were standing outside the DAtDA classroom. All of the other Gryffendors were there, along with all of the Hufflepuffs.

"Professor McGonogall made Defense Against the Dark Arts mandatory," explained Hermione.

"Zacharias Smith, Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil, all in one class! I hope Lust's up for this," exclaimed Ron. Lavender, standing a few paces away, shot Ron a deadly glare.

"Didn't you see the way she finished Snape off? I think she can handle a few teenagers," replied Harry.

"Is Professor Lust nice?" asked Neville. "Is she like Professor Snape, or Professor Umbridge?"

"She seems okay," answered Hermione. "We didn't see too much of her during the summer, but she doesn't seem that bad. Definitely better than Snape."

The door to the classroom opened. Lust stood there attentively, dressed for success. She had thrown black robes over her usual outfit, and even donned a tie that hid her tattoo. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail, and she held a wand in her hand. Gluttony followed right behind her, drooling. The chatter stopped, and all turned their attention towards their new teacher.

"Come in," Lust said rather mildly. "Sit where you like."

The students followed her instructions. The classroom that had so many changes of teachers now looked… normal. All of Snape's posters and other fetishes had been taken down. The room was strangely plain, but The Golden Trio preferred it to Snape's. The decorations in the room consisted of desks, the teacher's table, a blackboard and some candles. Lust walked up to the front, and started the attendance. In the middle of it, two blonde twelve-year-olds ran into the classroom.

"Ronald!" Ino shrieked, throwing herself around Ron's neck. Lavender looked positively outraged.

"Er… hi Ino," Ron choked out.

"Can I help you?" Lust asked.

"We're not on duty right now, so we thought we'd explore the school!" Ino announced.

"I have to stay with her because we're partners," Naruto grumbled.

"If that's what you want," Lust shrugged, still creepily meek. "Just don't disturb the class."

"Okay!" Ino perched herself on the desk behind Ron's, blocking Parvati's view. Naruto found himself a seat at the back, and proceeded to fall asleep. Lust finished the attendance.

"As I'm sure you've all figured out, I am your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." Lust told the class. She read the name written on the blackboard. "Professor Solaris Lust. I'm sure you know about the guards from the other worlds who have come to protect Hogwarts. It is true that I am one of them. Before we begin our first unit, do any of you have questions you'd like to ask?"

"Who's that?" Zacharias Smith pointed at Gluttony.

"This is my assistant, Gluttony."

"You're the first teacher we've ever had that needed an assistant," Zacharias snickered. Lust shot a stabbing glare over to his direction.

"Are you implying that I'm incompetent?" she asked. Everyone was suddenly aware that her manner was as mild as Quirrell's, but she was much more dangerous than Snape.

"No ma'am," Zacharias squeaked.

Seamus Finnigan put up his hand. "I thought the people from the other worlds couldn't use magic? Then, how can you teach us?"

"The humans from the other worlds can't," replied Lust. "It is true that, while you may use magic, you cannot use alchemy or ninjutsu. In the same way, Konohan blondes over there can't use magic or alchemy, but can use ninjutsu. And those from the alchemy world can't use magic or ninjutsu. However, I am not human."

"What does that mean?" asked Dean Thomas.

"McGonogall and I researched on this over the summer. First, you must understand that all of our powers come from a place called The Gate. It converts the deaths of the people from our worlds into energy. We draw energy from the Gate, changing it into either alchemy, magic or ninjutsu, depending on what Chakra system your body has. When we traveled from our worlds to yours, we passed through the gate, using transportation circles. That is how it works for humans. Homunculi are a different matter." Lust explained.

"What are homunculi?" questioned Ernie Macmillan.

"We are created through alchemy. However, we cannot use it. Except for Wrath, but that's a different story. On the other hand, the Red Stones that give us nutrition allows us to have amazing regenerative abilities, and all seven of us have a unique talent. It also lets us use magic and ninjutsu." Lust transfigured a coffee mug sitting on her desk into a mouse that scurried away. She then used _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_ to create many forms of herself. The class applauded her, quickly taking a liking to her.

"As you can see, being a homunculus is very useful… at the cost of a soul," Lust sighed. "Shall we begin? After the events of yesterday, Professor McGonogall wishes me to teach you a spell called the Patronus…"

* * *

"What a beautiful day," exclaimed Roy. "I think we have the best shift of all!"

"Hogwarts is a pretty big place. They run it pretty well, too," Anko was impressed.

"Too bad we can't go inside. I want to see how they teach some of the classes," answered Roy.

"Hey, that guy Hagrid teaches classes outside," recalled Anko. "Care of Magical Creatures of something."

"Let's watch," Roy decided, and they went to Hagrid's cabin.

Second period C.o.M.C. was starting. The third years were taking it, and Wrath was helping Hagrid unload the Flobberworms. Sloth stood off to the side with Winry and Rose, watching the child-like homunculus. The third year students, who had obviously heard rumors of the fun and exciting creatures from the older kids, looked at the ugly, slimy creatures in disbelief. Hagrid gave everyone instructions, and went to talk to the adults.

"How's things so far?" he asked. "Do you like Hogwarts?"

"It's very interesting," said Roy. "This is the only thing even _resembling_ a vacation that I've had in a long, long time."

"Poor, overworked Roy-kun." Anko patted his arm sympathetically.

"After the Ishbalan war, we were all pretty busy," replied Roy.

"My parents died in that war," said Winry.

"Oh, really? I'm sorry," Roy expressed his sympathy. "Many people died. A whole nation was practically wiped out. I hope nothing like that ever happens again."

"That's why you're all here, isn't it?" said Sloth. "Voldemort plans another genocide like that. And you classify under 'muggle'."

"Wars are such terrible things," Rose sighed.

"I think all of us here can agree," nodded Roy. "I fought in the war. It wasn't a pleasant experience. How did your parents die, Winry?"

"They were doctors that were killed on the battlefield. One day, they left, promising to return. They never did." Winry bit her lip. "Granny Pinako raised me, and now she's gone as well. I practically grew up with Ed and Al. They're the only family I have left."

"Their mother… she was a woman named Tricia Elric, wasn't she?" asked Sloth.

"That's right. She passed away some time ago. They were totally heartbroken. They loved her a lot. She was really nice," Winry recalled.

"Was she?"

"Yes. If you don't mind me saying so, you look a lot like her, ma'am." Winry peered at Sloth. "They tried to bring their mother back, but Ed lost an arm, and Al became a suit of armor…" Winry gasped, suddenly realizing how the similarity between Sloth and Tricia came about.

"Wait, Winry… isn't your last name Rockbell?" pondered Roy. "So your parents would be the doctors Rockbell…"

"That's right," nodded Winry. Roy's face darkened.

"I see. It's been a pleasant chat. I think we'd best be getting back to our duties." Roy announced. He walked away. Anko raced after him.

"Roy? What's wrong?" she asked when she caught up.

"The Ishbalan war brought out the worst in all of us. Everyone who returned from the battlefield lost something. For some, it was their limbs, and for others, the change was inside. Wars bring out the worst in humans. When we're placed on the battlefield, we become animals whose only thought is to kill and kill and kill." Roy felt a tear slip out the corner of his eye. He tried to hide it. "Some people, like doctors, are sent to help, but sometimes, they're killed, too. Killed by the very people they're trying to help. Like Winry's parents."

"That girl's parents… you were the one that killed them, weren't you?" asked Anko.

"I did some things that I'm not proud of, Anko. I killed many innocent people that didn't deserve it. I helped annihilate a nation who just happened to think differently. When I become Fuhrer, I will make up for my sins." More tears ran down his face. "I don't want innocent blood to ever shed like that again."

"You were subjected to many horrors you weren't ready for, weren't you?" Anko handed him a handkerchief. "We shinobi are also weapons of war. We live to fight from birth until death, and we find happiness in it. I wouldn't think twice about killing someone if they got in my way. I suppose a life isn't that valuable in our world. The opposite of yours, huh?"

"Many don't realize the worth of life until they're surrounded by death. Deaths caused by their own hands." Roy sighed in lament. "I really regret my actions, and I will amend for my sins."

"A worth cause. You can stop crying, Roy. I've made a decision." Anko wiped away the last of Roy's tears. "I don't know why, but I really care about you. I'll help you. I'll make sure you achieve your goal, and I'll travel to the top with you."

"What?" asked Roy. "Are you sure? What about your own life, in your own world?"

"I've decided to support you, and I stand by my decision." Anko embraced Roy. "So don't try to talk my way out of it."

"Oh… thanks…" Roy hugged her back.

"Your dream is really, really huge, Roy Mustang. You'll need all the help you can get," replied Anko. "The higher you get, the more enemies you'll make. You need friends who you can depend on."

"That sounds just like something Maes Hughes would say," Roy laughed.

* * *

"Edward! You can't sleep!" Temari scolded her partner.

"Why not? Nothing's happening. I need plenty of rest. I'm still growing," Edward yawned.

"Clearly," Temari muttered.

"Who are you calling short!" demanded Ed, sitting up from the couch.

"Calm down…" Temari sweatdropped. "Can't blame you for falling asleep, though. It really is boring here. It's a beautiful day so everyone's outside."

"Don't know why the old witch wanted us to stay here the _whole_ day." Ed sighed. The fireplace they were sitting in front of suddenly burst into bright green flame. The face of smirking sin with verdant hair emerged. Both Edward and Temari jumped up.

"Fullmetal Pipsqueak and Fan Girl! Finally, people that don't refer to themselves in the third person!" Envy heaved a sigh in relief.

"Don't call me pipsqueak!" Edward snarled.

"Fullmetal Pipsqueak? Cute!" Temari laughed.

"Wanna switch duties?" offered Envy. "You can run around cleaning classrooms and being ordered around by house elves, and I'll… sit around doing nothing."

"I'll pass," declined Edward.

"Aren't house elves the little green people that cook in the kitchen? I thought you were the caretaker's assistant," said Temari.

"Filch dumped me in the kitchen because I'm 'too useless'," Envy made a face. "I despise that man! And as for his idiotic cat, I'd like nothing better than to give her a well-deserved kick in the face!"

"Is Envy-san shirking duty again? Dobby going to have to tell Mr. Filch if Envy-san not get back to doing dishes!" a voice called from behind Envy. He winced at every word of the house elf's terrible grammar.

"I'm going to go crazy in here!" Envy exclaimed. "I'd better go before Filch puts me on permanent bathroom duty!"

"If you do, you'd better stay away from Moaning Myrtle's bathroom," Ed cautioned, shuddering at the memory of his last run-in with the perverted ghost.

"Oh yeah, Pipsqueak, Lust wanted to know if you found out anything about the Philosopher's Stone?" asked Envy.

"Not really, since we've been stuck here the whole day" shrugged Ed. "I'll start on it when the idiots take over."

"Envy-san get back to work!" Dobby yelled.

"There's a really big library here," said Envy. "I'd better go. We've kept our part of the deal, so you'd better get to work!" Envy pulled his head out of the fireplace, and the flames went out.

"Oh man, I'm starving!" Ed groaned. "It's past lunchtime, isn't it?"

"Naruto and the blonde girl are supposed to deliver it to us," said Temari. "I wonder where they are?"

As if her words had summoned them, the blonde ninjas entered the room, bearing trays full of sandwiches.

"No ramen! I miss home!" exclaimed Naruto.

"About time!" Temari snapped. "What took you so long? Did you lose the map McGonogall drew you?"

"She was stalking Draco Malfoy," griped Naruto.

"Well, at least they're here now," Edward shrugged, stuffing the food into his mouth. "What's the castle like?"

"It's huge! There are a lot of talking paintings and ghosts!" Ino told them. "You should see what they learn here! It's so awesome!"

"We can't. We're on duty, remember?"

"Well, there are a lot of ghosts. Did you know that each house has one? Slytherin's ghost is called the Bloody Baron." Ino giggled. "I bet he's awesome, too! I've heard so many rumors about him! He's covered in blood, but no one knows how he got like that. Maybe you'll see him later!"

"Did someone say my name?" a translucent man with silver bloodstains came through the ceiling. Ino and Naruto shrieked, diving over to their older peers.

"What the hell?" Temari yelled.

"King Bradley?" Edward saw the uncanny similarity between the phantom and the Fuhrer. The only differences were that this ghost had poofier hair, wore different clothing, and had no patch over his eye. He gaped at Edward in surprise, too.

"You… such resemblance! You look so much like him!" he gasped. "Hohenheim of Light!"


	16. Chapter 16: The Baron's Past

"Hohenheim of Light is the name of my father," Ed told the Bloody Baron. "What's it to you?"

"Who are you?" added Temari.

"A long time ago, I had a body of flesh and bone, just as you four do. My name is not important," replied the Baron. "Hohenheim was a philosopher, an alchemist, and, most importantly, my best friend. He traveled to this world from a universe parallel to it. Of course, he's back in his world now, isn't he?"

"How should I know?" grumbled Ed. "He abandoned my brother and I when we were children. His desertion made my mother sick, and it eventually killed her. He never even showed up for her funeral."

"That sounds like him. Hohenheim was a good man, but he never got too attached to one place," agreed the Baron.

"My brother and I searched for him, with no luck. How much do you know about him? What did he teach you? What did he want with this world?" Edward was bursting with curiosity.

"I was very interested in alchemy, but, being of the wizard's world, my abilities in that field were extremely limited. Hohenheim found a pathway to this world. He had 'superb talents' that fascinated everyone. He quickly established a reputation among the wizarding community. I sought him, and he made me his student. He taught me many things about alchemy. One day, I decided I was ready to learn how to make the most sought after substance in the world," the Baron recounted. "The Philosopher's Stone."

"I'm looking for that!" Ed jumped up excitedly. "It's my dream to find it! Did you make it? What happened? How did you get it?"

"You have the same expression I had on my face," the Baron smiled.

"Please, I want to know! I want to complete my journey! I want to obtain the secrets of the Philosopher's Stone!" Ed shouted.

"Are you sure you want to know, child?" asked the Baron. "Sometimes, it's better for a dream to remain that way. Trying to fulfill a dream is what keeps many alive, and what will happen when it is? Then, will you die, having nothing else to live for?"

"Please. It's the only way that… I can pay for my sins." Ed pleaded. He told the Baron his story. Temari, Naruto and Ino, who were hearing it for the first time as well, looked at him in sympathy.

"For someone so young to experience pain so horrible… I understand your desire for that stone. But the Philosopher's Stone isn't the incarnation of immortality, as it is made out to be in myths. Much must be sacrificed to make it… so much that it may not be worth it. _Are you sure you want to know?_" the Baron looked at Edward severely.

"Yes. Just tell me, so I can right what I made wrong."

"Okay," the Baron closed his eyes. "It still pains me to even think about it. I hope you're ready."

"I am." Edward pulled towards him a piece of parchment and quill that were lying close by. "What are the ingredients needed for the Stone?"

"Souls."

"Souls," Ed repeated, writing down the word. "Okay, next… wait, _souls!_"

"Souls and lives, Edward. Many of them. Only those with the power of alchemy can create a Stone, so I watched as when Hohenheim created it. He used the lives of the eighty-five house elves that worked for my family. I remember how messy it was. Their blood flew in everywhere. Everywhere," the Baron sighed grimly, motioning at his bloodstained self. "I was so shocked that I _died._"

"Souls… lives. I understand." Edward stood up and walked towards the exit.

"Ed? Where are you going?" asked Temari.

"I thought that we were getting closer to our goal. But now, it seems that we are further away than ever," replied Edward, stepping out of the Slytherin common room.

* * *

"Do you ever do anything _other_ than eat?" Kiba asked his teammate. It was just after lunch, and they were both standing in front of the doors of the Great Hall. The school was relatively quiet, since most of the students were in class.

"What? It helps me keep up my strength!" Chouji told him. "And these fresh, home-made chips are way better than the ones at home!"

"Oh, there's Edward! Hi, Ed! Aren't you and Temari on duty?" Kiba greeted Fullmetal.

"Al. Where's Al? Have you seen my brother?" Ed asked them.

"He's partnered up with Kakashi, isn't he? I don't think they're on duty right now," said Kiba.

"I think I saw him outside," recalled Chouji.

"Thanks." Ed ran outside. He bumped into Iruka and both of them fell over.

"Sorry" Ed apologized, leaping up. "Have you seen my brother?"

"He and Kakashi were near the lake earlier," said Iruka's partner, Vato Falman.

"Thanks! Bye!" Ed ran towards the lake. When he finally reached it, he saw no sign of a large suit of metal. He ran around the shore, desperately searching. In his haste, he tripped over Fuery, Hayate, Breda and Kurenai, who were not on duty. They were relaxing and enjoying the beautiful day.

"Edward! Slow down or you'll hurt yourself!" Kurenai advised him.

"Sorry! I'm looking for Al, has anyone seen him?" Ed pulled himself up.

"He was here a minute ago," said Kurenai's teammate, Fuery. "I think they were headed inside."

"Why are you looking for him?" asked Hayate.

"Aren't you supposed to be on duty? I know that Ino and Naruto aren't," added Hayate's teammate, Breda.

"Long story. See ya!" Ed dashed off inside.

"By the way, your brother was just looking for you," he heard Kiba's voice as he neared the entrance.

"Al! _Al!_" Ed shrieked. He put on some speed, and dashed inside so fast he was a blue of red. He braked in front of Al, panting heavily.

"Big brother? What's wrong?" asked Al.

"Al, I have something to tell you," Edward panted. "You won't like it."

"What is it?" asked Al.

"Please don't hate me for this," Edward looked up.

Al's face was trained intently on his own. It struck Edward that, even in a suit of metal, Al looked very… innocent. Very _naive_. His little brother was still a_ child. _His brother wanted the Stone as much as he did, but he was much too kind to collect the ingredients needed for it. To restore their bodies was Al's dream, too, but Al would never kill to achieve it. Perhaps Al would give up? Perhaps, after losing his dream, Al would… die? Ed's insides curled at the notion. No, he couldn't tell him. He couldn't shatter his brother's dreams.

"What do you want to tell me, brother?" Al inquired.

"Nothing. It's nothing, Al." Ed forced himself to smile. "I'm sorry I bothered you."

"Brother, what is it? Tell me!" Al demanded.

"Edward! There you are!" Temari raced to the group, with the Baron following her.

"Temari?"

"Ed, there's more to it! The Baron told us after you left!" Temari announced breathlessly.

"More to what?" asked Kakashi.

"What's going on?" demanded Al.

"Hohenheim waited for me after I died. I came back as a ghost, and we both went and hid the Stone. We never used it. After that, I never saw him again," explained the Baron.

"Hohenheim? Stone? What?" Al, Kakashi, Kiba and Chouji looked at the phantom questioningly. Ed trained his eyes on him, too, begging him not to tell Al. The Baron understood that Ed wanted to protect his brother.

"This man once worked with father, and they made a stone. They hid it afterwards. We've found it, Al," Ed grinned. "We've found the Philosopher's Stone."

* * *

"What's this meeting for?" asked Asuma. "Shouldn't I be on duty?"

"This will be rather short," McGonogall told the members of the Order of Phoenix who were gathered in the Great Hall. "It seems that Edward has found the Philosopher's Stone."

"Really?" Lust, Wrath and Sloth sat up straight.

"He has requested time off to find it, and I will comply," continued McGonogall. "But I don't want him to retrieve it alone. We are all here so that I can assemble a team for him."

"It's only in the Ministry of Magic," said Ed. "Al and I can go alone."

"This is a strange universe for you. You are not familiar with it. Death Eaters roam this world, and the Ministry can't even stop them. No, you must have a team," McGonogall decided. "Last time Order of Phoenix members went to retrieve something from the Ministry, the results were disastrous," McGonogall looked pointedly at the Golden Trio.

"Fine, fine," Ed grumbled.

"Gluttony and I will accompany Fullmetal," announced Lust.

"But you're a teacher. This mission may last longer than one day," McGonogall informed her.

"Then I'll get a supply. Sloth, can you do it?"

"Fine," agreed Sloth.

"Okay, Lust and Gluttony will go with Ed and Al. I'd also like to assign Harry, Naruto and Gaara to the mission," continued McGonogall.

"What? Why me?" Naruto demanded.

"Your hidden talents may come in handy," McGonogall's eyes sharply conveyed the message.

"Can I go, too?" asked Luna.

"I suppose," McGonogall complied. "Okay, I guess that's it."

"Um… is it okay if… can I go?" blushed Hinata. Her first day of guarding with her cousin wasn't very pleasant.

"Why?" asked McGonogall.

"Just because…" Instead of glancing at the Kyuubi-holder like the last mini-mission she went on, her eyes were trained on Alphonse Elric.

"Let her go," said Kurenai. "I think it will be a good experience." She smiled encouragingly at her student.

"Alright," sighed McGonogall. "We really don't need this many, though. Anyone else?" No more volunteers raised their hands.

"So, this will mean that Neji, Shino, Temari and Ino's partners will be away. But you can handle one or two days of guarding by yourself, right?" asked McGonogall. The Genin nodded. "Good. Sloth will take Lust's place… I guess I can send Winry and Rose back to the Grimmauld Place with Molly… Tonks, you can be Kakashi's teammate for a while… and we're all set. You will depart tomorrow, once Alphonse finishes his shift. Dismissed!"

"I can't believe it, brother!" Al grinned in excitement. "We're finally going to get our bodies back!"

"Yeah, Al," Ed grinned back, although he still felt uneasy. "I thought it was going to be much harder, but I guess not."


	17. Chapter 17: Onward!

The end of Riza's shift was quickly approaching. She sat on a bench near Hagrid's hut, polishing her gun. Other than the dementor attack, her stay in England had been rather uneventful. Riza was waiting for Ibiki, who had gone off to explore the forest.

"Hey, Riza!" a voice called from above. Riza looked up. Anko was perched on a branch of a tree close by.

"Hi Anko," Riza replied unenthusiastically. "Is it your shift now? Where's Roy?"

"He's coming," Anko shrugged.

"Aren't you supposed to stay with your teammate?"

"Where's Ibiki, then?" Anko shot back. "He'll be fine. Like I said, he's coming. Unlike you, I don't feel a need to keep tabs on him 24/7."

"What are you implying?"

"Well, it's just that you tend to be somewhat _clingy_," Anko informed Riza.

"Excuse me?" Riza stood up angrily.

"It's okay. Everybody has their flaws," Anko assured Riza.

"Shut up! Yours is that you're so damn annoying!" Riza pointed her gun at Anko.

"Hey, it's not my fault Roy doesn't like needy girls!" Anko pulled out some shuriken and kunai.

"Back off, Mitarashi! I saw him first!"

"If you liked him so much, you should've told him first! Finders keepers losers weepers, Hawkeye!"

"What's going on?" Ibiki arrived at the scene with Black Hayate at his heels.

"None of your business!" Anko and Riza shouted at him.

"I think it is. Riza put your gun down. Anko put your weapons back." Ibiki gave them looks that had retrieved information from many enemies. They reluctantly obeyed. "Look at yourselves! Two full-grown women arguing so pointlessly! When we're on a _mission!_ You should be ashamed! Anko, your shift just started. Why don't you go do your job? Riza, I'd like a word with you in the forest."

"Bye!" Anko waggled her fingers at them and dashed away.

"What is it, Ibiki?" Riza crossed her arms, following him a short distance into the woods. Although it was already light outside, it felt like night among the trees.

"Was your argument over Roy Mustang?"

"How did you know?"

"You don't exactly keep your attraction to him a secret, you know," Ibiki told her. "You mentioned that you joined the military to protect someone. Is Roy Mustang the reason for your existence? Would you die if he left you? I think you should reevaluate your life."

"Don't tell me how to live my life! You don't understand anything!" Riza crashed to the ground, bursting into tears. "I saved his life during the Ishbal Rebellion! I've known him since I was practically a kid! He's helpless! If I'm not there to protect him, who will?"

"If you've been paying attention lately, you'll notice that Roy isn't that helpless anymore. He can fend for himself. You should get on with your own life." Ibiki looked at Riza with harsh eyes.

"Roy Mustang is _part_ of my life. Losing him is like losing an arm or a leg…" Riza hastily wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

"Calm down. You haven't lost him. He's not dead, is he? You had all those years to make your move, so why didn't you?"

"I was shy…"

"Is that really the reason? Or did youknow that he wasn't the one you wanted to share your life with?"

"I don't know…" the tears kept on coming, and Riza kept on wiping them away.

"Get up. You'll be fine. Arms and legs can be lost. Faces can be scarred." Ibiki continued in a composed tone. He pulled off his bandanna, revealing his scars. Riza gasped. "As long as you live, you can heal." Ibiki pulled Riza up. "The real war's starting. Pull yourself together if you want to live. The weak always die first." Ibiki departed, leaving Riza behind to regain her composure.

* * *

"You're really excited, huh?" Temari commented to Ed.

"You would be, too, if you lost your limbs and got an opportunity to get them back," Ed rolled up the sleeve of his automail arm.

"Pretty cool," Temari complimented, examining it.

"Yeah, if you're not the one that has it clamped onto you," scoffed Edward.

"I wouldn't mind," shrugged Temari, "Ed, it's pretty nice of you to try and protect your brother, but don't you think he's old enough to know the truth?"

"Al's very sensitive and a much kinder person than I am. He could never go through with it, knowing how it was made," Ed explained. "Believe me, I hate lying to him, but I don't want to break his heart. Wouldn't you protect your brothers, too?"

"They've never really needed my protection. When we were young, the kids talked about Gaara behind his back, but I was scared of him, too…" Temari's face took on an expression of sadness. "I know my brothers better than anyone else. I'm closer to them than anyone else in the world, but not as close as you and Alphonse. I care about them, and I know Kankurou cares about us, too. Gaara, on the other hand…"

"It's not his fault. He didn't ask to be born this way," Ed comforted her.

"I know, I know. He's never known love, so it's inevitable that he can't feel it. It's not his fault he's a murder weapon because that's why he was created. He's probably the strongest person in this building right now, so I know he won't need anyone to look after him. Still…" Temari grasped Ed's automail hand. "You'll watch out for him, won't you, Ed?"

"Of course. No one's dying on my watch!" Edward declared.

"Everybody's outside. Are you ready?" the Bloody Baron's appeared through the ceiling.

"Sure." Ed stood up. "See ya, Temari."

"Come back soon, okay?" Temari called after him. Ed scrutinized her face. Her features were arranged back into the smug mask it usually was, but what was that reflected in her green eyes? Concern?

"Are you worried about me?" Edward smirked.

"No! Just don't get yourself killed, pipsqueak! Patrolling by myself will be twice the work!" Temari informed him. "Now, go! Everyone's waiting for you."

"Okay. Bye!" Ed waved, and left the common room.

* * *

"Learn how to drive, baka!" Naruto barked at Ernie after he was thrown against the windowthe third time that ride.

"Don't complain about something you're getting for free!" Stan yelled back. The group was taking the Knight Bus. It was the fastest transportation besides a Portkey, which they weren't using because the Ministry had gotten improved security. Stan had offered a free ride for the 'Chosen One', which included all the bumps and thrills the Knight Bus usually offered.

"You know, you look a lot like King Bradley," Alphonse commented to the Bloody Baron.

"Maybe there's a reason for that," Lust mused. "I told you guys that there are seven of us homunculi, right?"

"Yup. We've met five of you so far. Who are the other two?" asked Harry.

"One of them is Greed, who is imprisoned right now. You'll be pleased to know that the other one, Pride, is none other than… Fuhrer King Bradley himself." Lust observed Ed and Al with a smug smirk.

"_What!_" exclaimed Al.

"_Why would we be pleased!_" Edward demanded.

"He's Dante's favourite. Her masterpiece: A homunculus that can age. I don't suppose you know what happened to your body?" Lust asked the Baron.

"Hohenheim told me that he wanted to keep it as a memoir. I thought it was strange, but since I couldn't use it anymore, I agreed. He promised that he would bring me back to life or something. Then he left, I continued my existence as a ghost, and here we are," the Baron motioned at his surroundings.

"I think we can fill in the blanks," said Lust. "Hohenheim obviously attempted human transmutation to bring his beloved best friend back. It failed, Dante fed the results of the experiment, and homunculus Pride was born. Maybe it can age due to the fact that the body has a different energy system."

"The Fuhrer is a homunculus! We have to warn everyone!" Al shouted.

"Ministry of Magic!" Stan called from the front.

"But first, we have to finish this mission," decided Ed.


	18. Chapter 18: Department of Mysteries

"Right. First, we go into the phone booth," Harry recalled, stepping in. With much luck, everyone was able to squeeze in. Harry dialed "62442".

"State your name and business."

Harry called the names of everyone who was there, finishing with "We've been sent here to find something." Cards with names and "Search Mission" printed on them were published, and Harry handed them to their respective owners.

"Where's the Stone?" Ed asked the Baron.

"We put it in the Department of Mysteries," said the Baron.

"That's in Basement Level 9.This elevator takes us to 8," Luna told everyone.

"So we'll just go until 8 and take the stairs," Harry decided. They did exactly that. When they reached Basement Level 8, they all bounded out, eager for personal space.

"Harry Potter! Fancy seeing you here!" they ran into a large man with a huge mane of hair and bushy eyebrows. He peered at the alchemists, homunculi, witch, ninjas and ghost standing behind him.

"Oh! Good morning, Mr. Scrimgeour!" Harry greeted the man. "Everyone, this is Mr. Scrimgeour, the Minister of Magic. Mr. Scrimgeour, this is, er,… everyone."

"You're Hogwart's guards, aren't you? I've been meaning to have a chat with some of you. Do you have time now?" Scrimgeour inquired.

"Are you kidding me, man? We're on a mission!" Ed rudely refused.

"Professor McGonogall wanted me to give them a tour of the Ministry," Harry lied.

"I could do that myself!" Scrimgeour exclaimed. "We can start with this floor. That fountain you see there is the Fountain of Magical Brethren. Saved you from a nasty end in your fifth year, didn't it, Harry?" Scrimgeour pointed at a repaired fountain.

"Actually, what we're interested in is the Department of Mysteries," Lust, who was sitting on Gluttony's shoulder, informed him in her satin voice. "As you know, we are from worlds different than yours. It has come to our knowledge that there are things in there which may interest us."

The Department of Mysteries was not one of Scrimgeour's favourite places. He tried to avoid it whenever he could, and when he couldn't made his stays there as short as possible. It was cold, creepy, weird… he shuddered even thinking about it.

"May we pass?" Lust raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, certainly," Scrimgeour bobbed a bow. "Have a good day, then."

They all piled into another lift, which took them to Basement Level 9. The door opened, and they faced the entrance room.

"Okay, Baron. Where is it?" Ed asked the Bloody Baron.

"We went through the door over there," the Baron remembered.

"Great! Let's go!" Ed chirped. He, Al and Naruto bounded towards the door that the phantom pointed at.

"Wait, guys-!" Harry called out. Suddenly, the walls began to move. The doors moved 'round and 'round in a circle for a few seconds. Ed, Al and Naruto crashed against the door that had taken the old one's place when the walls stopped rotating.

"The walls move," Luna explained serenely.

"I think we've figured that out!" Ed snapped.

"We'll just have to go through all of them one by one, then," Ed decided. He peered into the room, and turned around, a sickened expression on his face.

"What?" asked Naruto, peering in after him. "Hey, cool! Floating brains!"

"Stay away from them!" Harry instructed.

"Next room!" Ed announced. The door closest to the Thought Room was still closed. He kicked it. "Open!"

"That's the door that never opens," said Harry, passing by. The door on the other side of that one opened, and he looked in. "And the next one is the Time Chamber."

"Here's the Hall of Prophecy and the Space Chamber," Luna, Gaara and Hinata walked over from the opposite direction. "And then, we have the…"

"Death Chamber." Harry remembered.

"I remember the room had a lot of stairs," said the Baron. "Yes, it's this one! Hohenheim and I put it on the dais! Then, he drew a circle around it and did some sealing alchemy!"

Everyone crowded around the entrance. Their eyes were all drawn to the arch with the tattered curtain. It was just as Harry remembered. The curtain was still blowing in the wind, and Edward could still hear the voices.

"No point just standing around." Edward stepped carefully down the tiers. He kept on walking until he reached the pit. He hopped up onto the dais, standing in front of the arch. The veil of death engulphed him in an ethereal glow.

"Don't go any closer, Edward!" Harry was reminded of how Sirius died.

"Come on down!" Ed waved at them. "Help me look!"

Al walked towards him. Luna and Gaara fearlessly followed. Naruto bounded down, and Harry reluctantly pursued them. The Baron floated down as well. Hinata nervously joined them. Lust strolled a few steps into the room, gazing at the arch suspiciously. Gluttony stayed by her side.

"We put the Stone right here," the Baron pointed at the space the arch now occupied. "The sealing circle is gone, too."

"Just keep looking!" Ed instructed, "Look around the whole room!"

"What if somebody moved it?" Luna spoke up after fifteen minutes of searching.

"In that case, this would be a pointless mission. We should go back," said Gaara.

"Shut up!" Ed yelled. "Keep looking! We'll find it! We'll definitely find it!"

"Brother! What Luna said isn't impossible!" said Al.

"Yes it is! We've searched for so long, Al! I can't accept that we lost another opportunity because some pompous idiot in a robe decided they wanted to hang their ratty old curtains here instead!" Ed shouted. "There's no way it's not here! It's gotta be here! We've worked so hard for it! I have to fix my mistakes! I have to get your body back, Al! I just have to!"

"A good speech. Nothing is comparable to the love shared by brothers." Everyone turned to the direction of the voice. They looked at the entrance, where Lust was standing. The silouette of a muscular man emerged behind her. His sunglasses caught the light from the veil. His X-shaped wound came into sight. It was Scar.

"You're that psycho!" Harry proclaimed.

"The murderer from Central!" Edward remembered.

"Correct. I am Scar." Scar stated. He placed his right arm on Gluttny's head. His tattoos glowed through his sleeve. Gluttony's head blew open in a grotesque manner. Scar pushed him aside, going for Lust next. He stopped short, gasping.

"What's wrong? Aren't you going to blow me apart like you did Gluttony?" Lust smirked.

"You're _her_... but you _can't be_, she's dead… unless… did he succeed?" He pulled out a locket with his other hand and popped it open.

A sickening gag came from Lust. There was an expression of shock on her face. Pain flashed across her eyes. She opened her mouth to let out another cough. And collapsed.

"Lust!" A regenerated Gluttony cried. He saved her from a tumble down the stairs. Carrying her, he hopped over to join the rest of his group.

"Those who sin against Ishbala must be annihilated!" Scar cried. He raced down the tiers, destroying them as he went along. Large chunks of stone flew everywhere.

"Crap! He'll destroy it!" Ed yelled.

Scar went for Gluttony again. He stumbled back, not noticing what was behind him. He knocked over Al, Hinata and Naruto, who were standing directly behind. Together with Lust, they all fell through the veil. They didn't emerge from the other side. Scar stopped just in time.

"Al!" Ed cried, racing over.

"No! It's too late!" Harry restrained Ed just as Lupin had held him back.

"Let me go!" Ed yelled.

"No!" Harry maintained his grip on Ed's arm. Scar stood in place, panting. Luna approached him. Stopping a short distance away, she stared at him.

"The way you attacked just Gluttony, like you blew his brains out… a man with white hair, a scar, and sunglasses…" she gasped. "You're the murderer! You killed my father!"

"So you are the offspring of that scientist. The nature of his experiments was different from alchemy, but he was conducting them just the same. He was twisting the natural world of Ishbala," said Scar.

"He was a magazine editor and an inventor!" Luna protested, bursting into tears. "How could you do that? He wasn't twisting nature! He was inventing cures for illnesses!"

"He destorted the way things were supposed to be naturally, just like an alchemist would. He sinned." Scar cracked his knuckles. "So he died."

"You're sick! He was doing it for the good of people, just like my mother before him! And I will continue their experiments now that they're gone!" Luna declared.

"You will make use of the evil you inherit? Then you must die as well!" Scar placed his arm on Luna's head. "You both meet your end at the hands of Ishbala's right hand."

"No she doesn't. Let go." Gaara sent a stream of sand rushing towards them. He broke Scar's contact with Luna, sending them both backwards. Luna stumbled through the veil.

Scar and Gaara began fighting, blowing up some more of the room. Ed still struggled to get away from Harry. Gaara dealt Scar quite a few nasty bruises, but in the end. Scar was able to push him through the veil.

"He's my only brother!" Ed cried. He ran towards the arch with a sudden burst of energy, dragging Harry with him. They both leapt through the veil of death.

* * *

"Luna? Darling, wake up." Luna opened her eyes a tiny bit. A woman with warm brown eyes and gentle golden hair smiled down at her.

"Mummy?" Luna sat up.

"Yes." Lorelei Lovegood embraced her child. "Look at you, Luna. How you've grown."

"Daddy said I look more and more like you everyday." Luna smiled.

"You're a picture of beauty and grace," Lorelei praised her.

"It's so good to see you, mummy." Luna hugged her again. "But where are we?"

"That's a good question," to her right, Edward was just waking up as well. The whole group was there, and most were coming to. Lust was still passed out. They were sitting in a room that was completely white. A small wooden door seemed to be the only entrance or exit. Besides the group and Luna's mother, there was one more person in the room. It was a thin man with greasy black hair and tattered robes. He was sitting with his back against the wall.

"Most of you have been unconscious for three days. Gaara took the liberty to introduce everyone," said the man. "It's good to see you again, Harry."

"Sirius?" Harry gasped.


	19. Chapter 19: Out of the White Room

"You're alive!" Harry shouted happily, hugging his godfather. "Or are we all dead?"

"I honestly don't know," Sirius admitted. "It's been a long time."

"Yes it has. Almost a year and a half," nodded Harry.

"So, did you defeat him? Where are Ron and Hermione? How did you meet these people? Tell me everything!" Sirius urged Harry.

"Well, Dumbledore died…" Harry sighed. "Snape killed him."

"What!" Sirius leapt up, roaring. "I knew we couldn't trust him! That son of a- I am going to rip him apart!"

"He's already dead," Harry assured him. "That woman, Lust, killed him."

"My respect for her just increased _a lot_," decided Sirius. He looked around the room. "Is everyone else okay?" The various members of the team voiced the states of their health.

"Oh, by the way everyone, this is my godfather," introduced Harry. "He fell through the veil in my fifth year, just like we did, er… has it really been three days?"

"Yes. My watch still works fine. Time is the only thing that is normal in this place. Here, we don't need to eat or sleep," Mrs. Lovegood explained. She turned to Ed, who had walked over to the door, and was examining it. "Careful not to get too close to the door, dear."

"Why not? It's the only way out, isn't it?" asked Ed.

"To get out of here, one must pay a sacrifice. My research partner opened the door six months ago because she was tired of this place. The second she opened it, these hands grabbed her, and tore her to pieces. They slammed the door shut after that." Mrs. Lovegood recalled.

"It's true. We think the price to open the door is a life," said Sirius.

"Well, this is useless! How are we ever going to get back to normal if we stay here?" Ed punched the wall.

"Harry? Is everything okay?" a voice came from the pocket of Harry's robes. He pulled out the small mirror McGonogall insisted he take. The worried Headmistress was there, with Ron, Hermione, Mustang, Kakashi, Kurenai and the Baron standing behind her.

"I think so," replied Harry.

"The Baron told us that you fell through the arch!" Hermione cried.

"Er, yeah," Harry replied. "So you see, we're in a bit of a sticky situation…"

"But we found my mum and Sirius," Luna spoke into the mirror.

"What? Really?" McGonogall gasped. Harry handed the mirror to Sirius.

"Hello, Professor," said Sirius.

"Minerva! It's good to see you, too," Mrs. Lovegood beamed when Sirius passed it to her.

"So, Edward. You could find it yourself, huh?" Roy smirked at Ed.

"Save it, Mustang. I'm not in the mood," grumbled Ed. "Hey, Baron, you mentioned Hohenheim doing alchemy on the Stone?"

"Yes, he called it sealing alchemy," answered the Baron.

"What if Hohenheim did something to it that changed into a portal? Maybe that door's a bit like the Gate," Ed pondered, pointing at the door. "Or maybe it's connected to the Gate."

"Maybe the arch _was_ the Philosopher's Stone." Al caught onto his thinking. "But whatever Hohenheim did to it made it into _this._"

"So we should be able to go through that door to anywhere in the three worlds," Ed mused. "But it requires a sacrifice. A life to feed to the Gate. Maybe only _one_ life is required to open it. Perhaps the door is then open a certain amount of time to everyone else in this room."

"Give us a good look around the room," McGonogall instructed. Harry spun the mirror around.

"There's absolutely nothing here. You can't escape if it's only you. You can't do anything here. It really is like a grave," remarked Hermione.

"The voices… were they the souls of those who died here?" wondered Luna.

"Maybe… give me a few minutes," McGonogall passed the mirror to Ron.

"You'll get out, right?" Ron asked his best friend.

"Sure we will!" Harry forced himself to smile. "What's McGonogall doing?"

"Er, she's looking at some books on her desk," Ron craned his neck to take a look. "I think she's trying to find a way to get you guys out."

"Can you give the mirror to Hinata?" Kurenai took the other mirror from Ron. Harry passed his to the terrified Genin.

"Hinata, you're okay, right? I know you're scared, but just keep your calm. Don't give up. You'll get out," Kurenai assured her student.

"Will we?" asked Hinata.

"We'll do everything we can to get you out, so just hang on. Don't give up!" Kurenai encouraged her.

"Okay. I won't give up. You're all doing everything you can, so it's selfish of me to want to quit." Hinata clapped her hands together. "I'll see this mission to the very end. I won't run away anymore!"

"Attagirl," Kurenai nodded her approval. "You've come a long way. I'm proud of you,"

"Good for you, Hinata! We'll get out of here in no time!" Al praised her.

"Edward, your theory is right," McGonogall came back. Hinata passed the mirror back to Harry. "Dumbledore left behind some notes on this. You need one life to open the gate. Then, everyone else in that room may leave."

"Great! Next order of business: escape," said Ed. "First, we'll need a life…" he suddenly realized what he had said. He looked apologetically at everyone in the room.

"Any volunteers?" Gaara asked bluntly. Uncomfortable silence followed. The mirror in Harry's hand started crackling.

"What's happening?" asked Harry.

"The connection is breaking up." McGonogall's image started going staticky.

"Is there any other way?" Harry yelled. McGonogall skimmed through the notes again.

"I don't think so."

"Come on! There has to be another way! No one's going to die!" Harry shouted.

"I'm sorry… I don't think there's…" the mirror went dead. Silence came again.

"I'll do it," Mrs. Lovegood confidently raised her hand. Everyone looked at her blankly. "I'll do it!" she insisted.

"Mummy, no! We'll find another way out!" Luna pulled her hand down.

"You heard the old hag. It's the only way," Edward told her grimly.

"Can't the arch be broken or something? And we'll all be released?" Luna asked hopefully.

"If the arch is broken, it just means no one else will be able to enter here anymore. We'll still be stuck," explained Al.

"I'll do it. I know what's been going on in our world. I know that Harry is the one that will kill Voldemort, but he can't do anything if he's just stuck here. You'll all go on to do great things," Mrs. Lovegood looked at each occupant of the room seriously. "The least I can do is help."

"No! I won't let anyone die for me again!" Harry refused.

"Don't argue. I've already made my decision. Luna, you'll say hello to your father for me, won't you?" Mrs. Lovegood looked at her daughter tenderly.

"Mummy, daddy died, too. He was murdered for trying to do good. I have no one else. Please don't go…" tears ran down Luna's cheeks. She grabbed hold of her mother's sleeve like she did when she was five.

"It pains me that I never got to see you grow up. I wish I could be there for your wedding… for my grandchildren… but I can't. This must be done." Mrs. Lovegood embraced Luna.

"Don't do this, Mrs. Lovegood! There must be another way out!" Sirius protested.

"Luna thought she'd lost you, but she found you again! Don't shatter her joy!" Harry objected, remembering his own mother.

"Harry… your mum understood. We sacrifice ourselves for those that we love." Mrs. Lovegood smiled sadly.

"Love… you love her so much you'd give up your own life? _Why?_" Gaara gasped.

"Because I'd rather die than see her hurt," explained Mrs. Lovegood. "We'd do anything for someone we love. Someday, you'll all understand."

"I already do," Edward smiled at his brother.

"When I open the door, _run._ I may be giving it up, but I still value my life. Don't get left behind, or you'll be wasting my sacrifice." Mrs. Lovegood's voice took on a more practical tone.

"I'm sorry if I'm a burden… but what if I can't run that fast?" Hinata winced, expecting a verbal beating like her cousin would give.

"Here, I'll carry you." Al opened up his armor. Everyone gasped at its emptiness.

"We tried to bring our mother back, and I lost my body. My brother kept me from disappearing completely," Al explained.

"I'm sorry if I'm too much trouble," Hinata timidly stepped into the armor.

"Is everyone ready?" Mrs. Lovegood approached the door.

"I really don't think you should do this!" exclaimed Sirius.

"Take care of my daughter, okay?" Mrs. Lovegood requested of everyone. "Luna, I love you…"

She pulled the door open. Beyond it was complete darkness. Arms reached out from it, and grabbed onto Mrs. Lovegood. They pulled her beyond, tearing pieces of her that quickly evaporated.

"Go!" she commanded. Ed, Naruto and Al, with Hinata riding inside his armor, quickly jumped through the door. Gluttony followed them, carrying the unconscious Lust. Sirius and Harry reluctantly went after them.

"Mother!" Luna cried, horrified. She crumpled to the ground. The door started to close.

"Luna! Get up!" Gaara commanded. "Let's go before it's too late!"

"I can't!" Luna sobbed.

"She sacrificed herself because she _loved_ you! The least you can do is respect her decision!" Gaara pulled Luna to her feet.

"Now I'm really alone…" Luna realized.

"No you're not." Gaara gave her a great shove, and they both got through the door just in time.

* * *

"You'd think we'd be able to land on our feet by now," remarked Al, crashing to the ground. A loud shriek came from inside his armour."Sorry, Hinata!"

"This isn't England," Luna looked around.

"I have a strange feeling we've been here before…" Edward pondered. They were standing in the middle of a quiet, dusty street. The few people that passed gave the group strange looks. Ed turned around, noticing that they were standing in front of a meat shop. A large, muscular man exited it, carrying his lunch pail.

"Edward. Alphonse. You're back. You brought friends," he gruffly greeted them.

"H-hi, Mr. Curtis…" Ed and Al exchanged nervous looks. "Our teacher wouldn't be around, would she?"

"I imagine you'd want to see her. Izumi!" he poked his head back into the store and called to his wife.

"What? No we wouldn't!" Ed ducked behind Al. The burly man stepped aside as a tall, thin woman with black hair flew out of the store. She kicked Al, sending both he and Edward tumbling backwards.

"Alphonse. You've grown a lot," she noted. "But Edward, you haven't grown at all."

"What! Who are you calling an undersized dwarf!" Ed leapt up and yelled.

"The pipsqueak that took the skills I taught him to become a dog of the military." Izumi crossed her arms and glared at the Elrics. "Al, you helped him, didn't you? I am very disappointed in you both."

"Sorry, Hinata!" Al apologized again. He sat up and opened up his armor. The very dazed Genin climbed out, feeling rather sick. "Everyone, this is our teacher, Izumi Curtis."

"Al… you're just a suit of armor…" Izumi gasped. "What did you do? Tell me what happened!"


	20. Chapter 20: Amestris

Izumi leaned back and folded her hands. The group was now crowded around the Curtis' dining room table, having tea. Edward and Alphonse had just finished telling the story, with the others' help in some of the later parts.

"So?" Edward prompted her for a response.

"First of all, I'd like to say that you are complete _idiots!_" Izumi yelled, leaning over and smacking Edward on the side of his head. "Why would you attempt human transmutation when you _know_ it's against the law? They made it illegal because something like this happens when you do it!"

"Now we know," Edward winced, touching his head, which was quickly swelling up.

"Secondly, it's very nice for all of you to accompany them here. I'm glad Ed and Al have found friends as loyal as you," Izumi smiled at the group.

"We're awesome!" Naruto declared, stuffing tea biscuits in his mouth.

"And last, but definitely not least… did you really team up with _homunculi!_" Izumi pointed at Gluttony and Lust, the latter who was still passed out.

"I know what your thinking. Evil incarnations of sin created because of human error, right?" Ed guessed.

"That may be true, but they have definitely helped us," Harry defended them.

"Is that one going to be okay?" Izumi pointed at Lust.

"She's been unconscious for quite a few days now," Sirius said in a worried tone. "What made her pass out, anyway?"

"I know it had something to do with that Scar guy," recalled Harry.

"Scar… I will not forgive him for hurting my Lust!" Gluttony snarled.

"You can both transmute without circles now?" questioned Izumi.

"Yes. I couldn't until recently, though," replied Al.

"What brought about the change?"

"Well, I was in a battle… it jarred back a memory… and then I could do it…" Al reminisced.

"So what are you going to do now?" asked Izumi. "Going back?"

"Actually, I'm glad we landed here," said Ed. "I need to find someone who might have the Philosopher's Stone. Mustang has avoided the question all summer, saying we don't need to know because we were too far away from Amestris. Well, now I'm going to make him tell me where Tim Marcoh is! Harry! Mirror!" Harry handed Ed the mirror. He forcefully shook it. "Mustang! Where are you?"

"Hello, Edward. Good to see you're well," McGonogall was the one who answered. "Everyone else okay? Where are you?"

"Yeah, they're fine. We're in Amestris, and we're going to be here awhile. Can I talk to Mustang?" Ed requested.

McGonogall conjured some flames into her fireplace. She sprinkled some Floo powder into it, and when bright green flames popped up, she yelled, "**_Mustang!_**" Someone who sounded like Hughes yelled that he wasn't there. McGonogall commanded him to get the Colonel.

"He's coming," McGonogall assured Ed. "So you got out? Who was sacrificed?"

"Luna's mother," Ed hissed. "But don't talk about it too much. She's still a bit sensitive."

"I can imagine why," McGonogall replied. "You're not coming back? Does that mean you've found the whereabouts of the Stone?"

"We're pretty close. We also have some other business to take care of. For example, a Fuhrer to overthrow," Ed told McGonogall.

"I'm here, ma'am," the door to McGonogall's office opened.

"Good. Edward would like to speak to you," McGonogall passed the mirror to him and went back to her paperwork.

"You're alive! Good!" Roy congratulated Ed.

"I know. It's time for you to make good on your promise and tell me where Marcoh is!" Ed informed his superior.

"Well, the conditions were that you had to beat me, and seeing as how you never even _fought_ me, I don't think I have to," teased Roy.

"Just tell him so they can come back!" McGonogall commanded irritably.

"Fine! Some years back, there was something called the Ishbal Rebellion. You've heard of it, right?"

"Sure. The Ishbal Massacre. My friend Winry's parents were killed in it," Ed reminded him. Roy's face twitched.

"Yes. Many died, but Tim Marcoh wasn't one of them."

"He's still alive?" gasped Al.

"He deserted the military… the smartest one among us. I'm sure there are some things you can learn from him. Maybe you should pay him a visit," Roy smiled.

"You mean it?" Ed was surprised. He quickly grabbed a pen and a napkin to write down the address Roy told him.

"Edward, as long as you're there, I'd like to assign you another task," said McGonogall when Roy went back on duty. "I want you to find your father."

"_What?_" Ed demanded. "_Why!_"

"Find Hohenheim of Light and bring him back here. Bring Marcoh, too, if you can. I think I've found a way to seal away all of our enemies, but it requires someone skilled in magic, the jutsus and alchemy. I can fill the magic slot and Jiraiya fills the ninjutsu one, but we still need someone who is really talented in alchemy," McGonogall explained.

"What about my teacher?" Ed asked, turning his mirror towards Izumi.

"Bring her, too. Just hurry up and return. Be careful! Good-bye!" McGonogall put her mirror facedown onto her desk, ending their conversation. Ed made a face and handed the mirror back to Harry.

"Okay, so we'll get a train and go to Marcoh's town," decided Ed, getting up. "It was good to see you again, sensei."

"Wait. I'll come with you," Izumi stood up as well.

"Really?"

"The fate of the worlds rest on the shoulders of the Order of Phoenix, and frankly, I'm a bit worried that an idiot like you is entrusted with saving the world," Izumi informed Ed. Ed made a face at her. "I'd better keep an eye on you. You might need my help later."

"Suit yourself," shrugged Ed.

"I'll be back," Izumi kissed her husband good-bye.

"Take care," Mr. Curtis told her. And so, the group departed for the train station. When they arrived, Lust finally woke up.

"Huh? Where are we?" she asked groggily.

"Amestris. We're going to find the Philosopher's Stone. I'm Sirius Black, by the way," Sirius introduced himself.

"Solaris Lust, Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor," Lust shook hands with him. She pulled herself up. "Since we're allies, I may as well tell you that there are experiments concerning the Philosopher's Stone going on in Central. If anyone's interested enough, I'm willing to give them a tour."

"Okay," agreed Ed.

"But brother, aren't we looking for Marcoh?" Al pointed out.

"We'll split up. Half of you go with the homunculi to Central. The other half, come with me to find Marcoh." Ed quickly bought tickets and assigned groups. "Our train's here. We'll meet you at the Central library!" He, Izumi, Gaara, Luna and Naruto all boarded the train to the East. The train soon departed, with Naruto sticking his head out the window and waving enthusiastically at the other group.

* * *

"Haven't been here in a while," Al remarked as he stepped foot outside the train.

"Amestris is pretty nice," Sirius commented. "Much nicer than the white room."

"Fullmetal Alchemist?" two military officials approached the group. One was a tall man with blonde hair, and the other was a dark-eyed woman with short brown hair. They introduced themselves as Sergeant Denny Brosh and Second Lieutenant Maria Ross.

"We have been assigned by the Fuhrer to protect you, Fullmetal," Brosh told Al.

"But I'm not Fullmetal…" said Al. "That's my brother, Ed. He's not here."

"The Fuhrer told us to watch Alphonse, too," said Maria.

"Why would he do that?" asked Al.

"Have you forgotten who the Fuhrer is?" Lust raised an eyebrow.

"Oh… right." Al sighed. He turned to Brosh and Ross. "I'm sorry, but please don't follow us. We have something important to do here."

"Their clothes, Denny. They're not from around here," Maria hissed to her partner.

"They're friends from Xing and Aerugo," Al lied.

"You do realize that Amestris and Aerugo are at war?" Maria asked.

"Um… they're friendly?"

"We're required to write a report," Denny informed Al. "We'll take your friends down to the HQ now."

"Let me handle this," Lust pushed Al aside. "Have you noticed how high the mortality rate has gotten in Amestris lately?" Maria and Denny nodded. "I'm sure the government has made up some kind of excuse, but I'll tell you the truth. The world that you live comfortably in will soon come to an end. Your beloved Fuhrer has a hand in this. These people are from places even further away than Xing and Aerugo. They come from a different universe. They're here to stop our worlds from deteriorating. I'm here for a different reason, but I've teamed up with them, so don't hinder us. They're above wastefully shedding blood to get what they want, but I'm not. Understood?"

Denny and Maria noticed how uncomfortably frightening Lust was up close. However, they stood their ground.

"I'm sorry, but we're under orders to guard this boy," Maria told Lust. "Go where you wish. We'll follow."

"Let them come," Sirius shrugged. "What harm could they do?"

"Just keep your mouths shut," Lust warned Ross and Brosh. "We're going to a place called Laboratory 5. The rest of you, try to keep up, okay?" They walked through the streets of Amestris, finally arriving at a large, abandoned building. The perimeter was fenced, but Lust easily cut through with her fingers. By this time, night was quickly approaching, and the building looked very creepy.

"I think Dante has already found out about our betrayal," Lust told the group. "Elric, Hyuga White-Eyes and annoying officers, you stay out here and keep guard. We will be back shortly." She, Gluttony, Harry and Sirius went into the building. The rest of the group stood outside, jumping up at the slightest of noises.

"What's taking them so long?" wondered Al.

"I think somebody's coming…" Hinata was using her Byakugan to scan their surroundings.

"Who?" asked Al.

"Someone really bulky… AAAAAAHHHHHH!" Hinata, Maria and Denny all screamed in unison as two large suits of armor came flying at them from either direction. Al quickly clapped his hands on the ground, making fists fly up and knock them down.

"No way! The little brother can do alchemy without circles, too?" Denny gasped. "Why didn't you try out for State Alchemist?"

"Long story," Altold himbreathlessly. The attackers picked themselves up.

"You!" one of the attackers, a man who was wearing skull-faced armor, pointed at Al with a knife-wielding hand.

"Do I know you?" Al asked.

"I'm called 66," the skull-faced armor pointed at himself.

"I'm 48, but I'm also known as Slicer," the other man told Al.

"Alphonse… they're hollow inside!" Hinata gasped.

"So you know our secret! Are you scared? We're freaks of nature, huh? You should all be wetting your pants right about now! We'll, are you? Are you?" #66 prompted for a response by taking off his head.

"How embarrassing…" a voice came from Slicer's helmet.

"So full of himself," a voice coming from Slicer's torso agreed.

"Actually, I'm just like you," Alphonse explained, taking his head off.

"GYAAAAAAAA! A freak!" #66, Denny and Maria screeched.

"That's not nice," Al pouted.

"Alphonse, Slicer holds two Chakras," Hinata told Al.

"Because there are two of us," said Slicer. "We were a pair of murderers, known as the Slicer brothers."

"And you'll be pleased to know that I was none other than Barry the Chopper!" #66 announced gleefully.

"Barry? I thought you were executed!" pleasant memories of their last encounter flashed through Al's mind.

"Well, they sort of ripped away my body, and put my soul in this armor," Barry explained.

"Same here," one of the Slicer brothers agreed.

"Did that happen to you, too?" asked the other one.

"Nope. My brother put me in this armor," said Al.

"Ahhh, I remember your brother. Wee little fella, wasn't he? He looked particularly plump to chop. So much juicier than your average teenage male…" Barry's tone conveyed that his lust for chopping had transferred with his soul.

"That's disgusting!" Hinata yelled.

"Haven't you heard of me? Barry the Chopper… butcher by day, murderer by night. I chopped up many, many victims, I did! My wife was the first! I particularly liked little girls… yes, little girls like you… so juicy, delicious…" Barry jumped in front of Hinata.

"Don't you dare touch her, you sick pervert!" Al flew towards the enthusiastic butcher. They began a round of hand-to-hand combat.

"Your brother must've really loved you to put all this effort into transforming you," Barry told Al.

"Yes. I love him to. He's all the family I have lift," Al replied sentimentally.

"The love between brothers is sweet. Just look at Slicer! They remain together even though their bodies are gone!" Barry cackled. "Yes, a brother's love is beautiful. Even though it is fake."

"What?" Al and Barry kept on fighting.

"What I mean to say is, we are all 'souls', fixed into these pieces of armor, right? But how can you prove that a soul really exists? Something that can's be seen, felt, tasted, sliced… it's scientifically impossible!" Barry brought his knife towards Al.

"No it's not! What about my memories? My emotions? My personality?" Al dodged all of Barry's blows.

"Can't be seen! Can't be felt! Can't be proved! What if this brother who loves you so much created them all, eh? What if everyone else was going along with this charade?" Barry laughed. "What if you were being fooled all along?"

"No way! A person named Alphonse Elric really exists! That person is me!" Al cried.

"Prove it! Where's his body?" yelled Barry.

"I don't…"

"You're nothing more than a lie!" Barry shouted, sending Alphonse flying backwards.

"My turn now," Slicer, who had been too inactive for his own liking, stepped over Al. "Now, where's your seal?"

"What's all this commotion?" a sultry voice came from behind them. Sharp blades extended through the air, causing Barry and the Slicers to jump back.

"Lust!" Al had never been so glad to see a homunculus in his life.

"#48's seals are right… here!" Lust sent her fingers first through the back of Slicer's helmet, then his torso. The armor gave a sputter, and toppled over backwards. Sirius came up behind her, breaking Barry's seal.

"You're… a lie…" Barry stammered out before he, too, crashed to the ground.

"Is everyone okay?" Sirius asked. He was supporting Harry, who seemed to have a broken leg. Lust and Gluttony looked fine, but Sirius and Harry looked like they had been beaten up good.

"Yeah. Did you find anything?" asked Hinata.

"Chimaeras. Lots and lots of them," Harry shuddered.

"The stone?" asked Hinata.

"We found materials used to make them, but we had to retreat," explained Sirius, pointing at Harry's leg. "We'll go back later."

"What are you all doing here so late?" a voice came from outside the gate. Amestrian soldiers were standing around the perimeter of the building. Their leader was a man with an eye patch clad in blue that looked at the group suspiciously.

"Fuhrer King Bradley!" Al gasped.


	21. Chapter 21: Still in Amestris

"Train rides are so boring!" Naruto complained. The group was sitting in seats facing each other on the train. This trip would not be as long as the one from London to Hogwarts, but Naruto complained like it was.

"You've made that very clear to us the last few hours," Izumi snapped beside him. "Shut up!"

"We should be there soon," said Ed.

"Good. I'm sick of listening to him whine." Gaara growled.

"Do you think he still lives in that town?" asked Luna. "If I deserted the military, I wouldn't stay in one place for long."

"He may not be there anymore," agreed Ed. "But the townspeople will definitely remember someone like him."

"I don't mean to alarm you, but that man over there with the big moustache has been watching us since we got on the train," Izumi hissed. Ed turned around to look. The mustached man was not in his blue uniform, but he recognized him just the same.

"Brigadier General Basque Gran," he murmured. "Last I knew he was in the East. But I guess with Scar gone, the state alchemists feel safe to roam again."

"A dog of the military, eh? I don't like the look he has in his eyes," said Izumi.

"He was in the Ishbal war. He seems to know Marcoh. He mentioned something about Marcoh being a traitor," Ed told everyone.

"Maybe he's following us to find Marcoh," suggested Luna.

"How would he know?" asked Naruto.

"I saw him around Dublith yesterday. I think he was doing an inspection. Perhaps he stuck around, and heard us talking about it earlier," said Izumi.

"The next stop is Marcoh's village. Maybe we can lose him in the crowd," suggested Ed. The train came to a stop, and the group got off.

"What crowd?" Gaara asked. If he had eyebrows, they would've been raised right about then. They were the only people at the station.

"He didn't follow us," Izumi sighed in relief. Ed saw Gran looking at the through the window before the train passed out of sight.

"This is certainly a peaceful place," Luna breathed in the fresh air. "You'd never guess that they harbored something so powerful and dangerous."

"What are we waiting for?" Ed started running towards the houses. "Let's go find the Philosopher's Stone!" The rest of the group followed him, stopping at a small farm where a man and his son were working.

"Good morning," the man cheerfully greeted the group. "Can I help you?"

"I was wondering if you know a guy named Marcoh," said Ed. "He's a doctor. I was told I could find him here."

"The town doctor's name is Mauro," replied the farmer. "He's pretty amazing, though. A few months ago, I had my leg crushed by my tractor. I thought I was never going to be able to work again. But then, Mauro came, and completely healed it! I was back on my feet in no time!"

"He also healed my little sister from a terrible infection with just a flash of light!" the boy beamed.

"You don't say…" Ed and Izumi exchanged thoughtful looks. A woman came out of the house, carrying a healthy baby who cooed cutely at the group. The man introduced them as his wife and daughter.

"Dr. Mauro cares about the common people. He takes time to examine and treat us. He doesn't care how much money we have, or if we even have time at all. He just wants to make sure we get better," the man's wife praised the doctor. "He has done many things to help this town.

"Maybe he's trying to right his wrongs," said Ed. "Can you tell us where he lives?"

"Certainly," the man replied. He gave the group directions, and they soon departed.

"This sounds like Marcoh," Ed told his friends. "A flash of light… that has to be alchemy. And something that heals that fast can only be a Red Stone… or maybe even the real thing!"

The group arrived in front of a small house with all the curtains drawn. They waked to the front door. Ed rapped on the wood sharply with his automail hand.

"One second!" a man called from inside.

A moment later, the door opened. A tired-looking man with salt-and-pepper hair peeked out. Edward stood before everyone else, holding out his State Alchemist watch. Marcoh also faced a girl sending out bubbles from a piece of wood she was holding, a boy with an expression like he'd like nothing better than to murder him, a fierce woman who had to choose that moment to start coughing up blood and a flamboyantly dressed kid who picked his nose and flicked it at him. It was no wonder that Marcoh slammed the door shut.

"No! I won't go back! You can't make me!" Marcoh yelled through the door.

"What's he talking about?" Izumi wiped her mouth with a napkin.

"Are you Tim Marcoh, the Crystal Alchemist?" asked Ed.

"Who wants to know? You're from the military, aren't you?" Marcoh demanded.

"Well, yeah… I'm Edward Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist," Ed announced proudly.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki, future Hokage!" Naruto yelled.

"I'm Izumi Curtis, just a housewife," said Izumi.

"I'm Luna Lovegood, Hogwarts student," said Luna.

"I'm sure you don't want any more of your time, so why don't you let us in?" Gaara guided some of his sand to the handle. He easily broke the lock. What little strength the old man had couldn't compare with Gaara's.

"Go away… I'm not going back… Leave me alone!" Marcoh cried, inching away from the group as they stepped in to his house. He tripped and fell. Marcoh covered his face as if he expected Gaara to rip his guts out any second.

"Gaara cut it out. You're scaring him," Ed snapped. He extended a hand to help Marcoh up. "We know you deserted the military. We're not here to take you to them."

"Just like those dogs to chase after an innocent man," Izumi scoffed.

"We're here because we want to learn about the Philosopher's Stone," Ed told him. "We know you researched it. We just want to take a look at your research."

"How do I know I can trust you?" Marcoh demanded.

"My brother and I, we did something stupid. We paid dearly for it." Ed rolled up his sleeve to show his automail arm. "It was all my fault, but I only lost an arm and a leg. My brother lost his _whole_ _body. _I have to atone for my sins!"

"I've been trying to do that since I left the military, boy," Marcoh told Ed grimly. "Have you ever heard of the Ishbal Rebellion?"

"Yeah. A lot of people died," said Ed. "Big bloodbath, right?" Gaara's ears perked up at the word 'bloodbath'.

"You have no idea. I didn't have a clue what was going to happen going in, but I left when I finally had enough. It finally got to the point where an inexperienced soldier killed two _doctors_ were killed because they were helping injured Ishbalans. I just couldn't take it anymore," Marcoh sighed. "But it was too late. My research helped the military kill."

"You wouldn't happen to have it, do you?" Edward was hopeful that there were other ways to create the stone.

"Do you plan on making one?" asked Marcoh. Ed nodded. "Oh. You won't like the ingredients."

"I already know what they are, but maybe there's another way?" Ed asked optimistically.

Marcoh shook his head.

"Tim Marcoh!" a large figure suddenly blocked the sunlight from the doorway. Basque Gran had arrived, and he had brought a quartet of subordinates with him. Terrible memories were brought back to Marcoh when he saw their crisp blue uniforms.

"You said you weren't working with them!" Marcoh looked at Ed and his friends accusingly.

"What? These foreigners?" Gran scoffed at the way Luna, Naruto and Gaara were dressed. "No, they are not helping us. Search this house! He may have more stones!" Gran commanded his soldiers. They obeyed. One soldier came across a bottle with a reddish liquid in it. Marcoh quickly snatched it away from him and put it in his pocket before Gran saw.

"It doesn't look like he's got anything," said Gran. "Let's go."

They turned away and left his house. Two soldiers were holding onto Marcoh to prevent escape. Ed & co. followed them. They walked down the street, with passerbys staring. A few called 'good afternoon' to the doctor, who kept his eyes trained on his feet the whole time. They arrived to the place Gran had parked, and forced Marcoh in. The soldiers crowded in after him, with Gran in the driver's seat.

"The Fuhrer is expecting you in Central," Gran told Ed. Then, he slammed the door shut, and sped away.

However, the car didn't speed for that long before a new foe stepped in front of it. His hair was white, and his sunglasses flashed in the sunlight. An X-shaped scar adorned his forehead, and a scowl was formed on his mouth. He was a mass murderer Hinata had already had the misfortune of encountering twice. You guessed it… it was Scar.

Gran slammed on the breaks before he could hit Scar. A second later, he realized who it was. Gran tried to hit the gas pedal, but Scar got through with it before Gran could. Scar slammed his right hand onto the hood. Before you could say "psycho", the car had exploded into a million pieces. Luckily, the seats had remained intact. Gran, Marcoh and the soldiers sort of crashed to the ground while still strapped in their seats.

"Iron Blood Alchemist, the right hand of Ishbala judges you!" Scar grabbed Gran's forehead. "I give you time to pray." Scar waited for a few seconds before he squeezed. Gran gasped. There was a sound liking something exploding. Blood flew out of Gran's ears. Scar tossed him aside, and stepped towards Marcoh.

"The Crystal Alchemist. It was your research that annihilated my nation," Scar placed his hand on Marcoh's head.

"No! Don't touch him!" Ed screamed.

"_Petrificus Totalis!_" Luna yelled, hitting Scar with the spell. He was only frozen for a few moments before his alchemy cancelled the effects. However, that gave Marcoh and the soldiers enough time to flee from their seats.

"You're the murderer. I will avenge my parents' deaths!" Luna glared at Scar. She stepped forward, facing him with her wand extended. "_Avada Ka-_".

"Don't do it, Luna!" Harry had warned Edward about the spell. He pulled Luna back. "Don't sink to his level!"

"A murderer should be dealt with by another," Gaara agreed, stepping between Luna and Scar. Ed guided Luna back to safe watching distance. Scar and Gaara faced each other. They started a fight similar to their last one. Gaara's sand protected him from much harm, but Scar's speed easily rivaled the Sand Nin's. Suddenly and very randomly, Naruto jumped up onto the roof of a house.

"_Transform! Ninja Harem!_" Naruto cried. Hundreds of female Narutos burst throughout the street, surrounded by white mist. All of the males on the street stared at them, bursting into nosebleeds. All the males excluding Gaara, but including Scar. His moment of inattention provided the right opportunity for Gaara to encase him in sand. Izumi and Luna sweatdropped at how easy it was.

"Alright, talk! How did you get here?" Ed demanded after Naruto had turned himself back.

"I followed you into the arch," said Scar.

"That's impossible! We didn't see you there!" cried Luna.

"That's because I was allowed out before you. It must be this arm," Scar waved his right arm, which was not enveloped by sand. His sleeve had ripped, showing his tattoo. "It was just chance that we cross paths again."

"What's so special about that arm, anyway?" asked Naruto.

"My brother was interested in alchemy, which was an art forbidden to the Ishbalans. His lover died, and he tried to bring her back, but was unsuccessful. Then, he died in the Ishbalan War… but not before giving me this arm." Scar's tattoos glowed faintly.

"Why do you go around murdering innocent people?" Luna demanded.

"They are not innocent. They are sinners who distort nature. But the souls of innocents _are_ gathered in this arm. My brother collected the souls of dying Ishbalans." Scar told them.

"It must be an incomplete Philosopher's Stone…" Marcoh gasped. He opened the little flask with the red liquid, pouring it into his palm. Instead of running off his hand, it formed into a small, red stone.

"Scar, I know how much your people suffered. What the military did was wrong, but it's not totally the Amestrians' fault. It's our leader. Fuhrer King Bradley is a homunculus." Ed told Scar.

"A homunculus?"

"The result of a failed human transmutation. The black-haired woman and bald man you saw before were homunculi, too," explained Ed. "They deserted the bad guys and joined our side, though. The Fuhrer is part of a bigger plan to take over our worlds. We're trying to stop them."

"So the black-haired woman is created from another…" Scar mused. "Where is she now?"

"My brother went to Central with half of our group," said Ed. "That's where we're headed."

"Central… homunculi… this Fuhrer was the one who ruthlessly went through with the Ishbalan War? If he is overthrown, will Ishbal be rebuilt?"

"I suppose," said Ed.

"You know, the actions of the military make a lot more sense if their leader is a homunculus," said Izumi. "I never trusted those dogs."

"I'll join your side," Scar decided.

"What?" Ed blinked.

"No!" Luna refused.

"Why?" Gaara demanded.

"I was given this arm to avenge the deaths of my people. But perhaps rebuilding Ishbal will be better for them than killing State Alchemists," said Scar.

"How do I know you won't blow us to bits the second we turn our backs?" Luna asked suspiciously.

"We let the results of failed human transmutation join. We might as well give the murderer a chance, too," shrugged Ed. He and Scar shook hands. "Welcome to the team."

"I guess we'll go to Central next," said Izumi.

"Actually, there's a little town I want to stop by on the way," said Ed. He turned to Marcoh. "Would you like to come along? We'll go to Central after that. Then I probably have to report to Mustang and listen to him make fun of me for not finding the stone." Edward made a face and proceeded to do bad impressions of his superior.

"Wait… you're not talking about Roy Mustang?" Marcoh clutched his chest.

"Yeah. Why?"

"He was involved in something that made me leave the military. He was the young, clueless soldier who shot the doctors Rockbell," Marcoh explained.

"Rockbell?" Ed gasped.

"Isn't that Winry's last name?" asked Luna.

"Yes. Are you sure it was Mustang? Are you sure the doctors were named Rockbell?" Ed grabbed Marcoh by the shoulders and shook him.

"How could I forget!" Marcoh broke free. "Listen, I have to leave. My research is in the Central library. Look for the truth behind the truths." Clutching his Red Stone tightly, Marcoh sprinted back to his house.

"We should go," Ed glared at Gran's subordinates, who were huddled together in fear. "You should go back to the Eastern HQ and report Gran's death."

Edward, Gaara, Luna, Izumi, Naruto and Scar, who was freed, all ran towards the station before the soldiers came to their senses and get backup.

* * *

"I still think you should've taken his stone," Gaara told Ed crossly.

"Didn't you see how happy the townspeople were?" Ed replied. "I can't do that to them."

"Are we there yet?" asked Naruto.

"If you say that one more time, I will…" Izumi suddenly stopped, getting a strange expression on her face.

"You'll what?" Naruto stuck out his tongue.

"I will cough blood all over you," Izumi started coughing madly, spitting out blood onto her seatmate.

"Ewww! Gross! Gross!" Naruto yelped, jumping away from her.

"We should disguise Scar," said Ed. "Someone might recognize him. Luna, can't you do something?"

"It's his own fault for being a mass murderer," Luna glared at Scar.

"Come on, Luna! If he gets caught, we'll get into trouble, too!" Ed pleaded.

"Alright," Luna pointed her wand at Scar, and did a transfiguration spell. Scar's hair lengthened into pigtails, and turned blonde. His trademark scar was blended to the same tone as the rest of his skin, which was lightened. His red eyes changed into large, blue eyes, much like Naruto's. In fact, he looked just like the Ninja Centerfold version of Naruto.

"What the hell!" Scar yelled, looking at his reflection in his sunglasses.

"You look like Naruto's sister!" Ed laughed.

"No one will recognize you now," Luna pointed out matter-of-factly.

The train soon arrived at Resembool. The group shuffled out, expecting someone to recognize Scar any second.

"It looks so peaceful!" Luna remarked. They were still walking by the fields, and hadn't seen the houses yet. But when they did, they got a nasty shock.

"Everything's _gone_…" Ed gasped. When he left four years ago, he and Alphonse had burnt down their house. Now, all the homes they saw were like that. There was only one word to describe Resembool's aura. Dead. Edward shuddered to think how many were buried under the rubble.

"Edward… I'm sorry…" Izumi comforted her student.

"We burnt our house so we wouldn't give up and come back," Ed told everyone. "Now we _can't_. Because everything's _gone_. _Everyone's dead_."

Edward struggled to hold back his tears. He hurriedly walked towards the direction of his house, and everybody followed. Their path was gloomy. The trees were gnarled and lifeless, and the flowers were withered. Every home that had once held a family now only added to the air of emptiness. Ed's heart beat faster as he neared his house. Many memories were brought back. He remembered racing Al home. He remembered playing with Winry. He almost expected to see his house, standing whole, with his mother waving at him from the window. He imagined that his childhood friends were running behind him. Luna's long, blonde hair easily reminded him of Winry.

The illusion was quickly shattered when he saw his home. It was just as broken as when he had left. There was a man standing in front of it as if he were paying his respects. He was tall, with long, golden hair and glasses. There was something familiar about him. Ed suddenly realized who he was. He put on so much speed he was practically flying. The man turned around, finally noticing them.

"Bastard!" Edward cried, punching the man in the face.

"Edward!" Luna gasped.

"You must be my son," the man smiled good-naturedly at Ed. "Good, you can help me. I seem to have trouble finding our home."

"You didn't even return for her funeral!" Ed yelled, punching the man again. "She died because of you! You just upped and left, and mom died of a broken heart!"

"So this is your father who abandoned you," Izumi looked at the man coldly.

"Hohenheim," the man introduced himself. "I see Edward is taking his friends on a tour. It is too bad there is so little to show. I wonder what could have caused this?"

"Death Eaters," Edward growled. "I don't know if you know about them or not…"

"Voldemort's cronies," Hohenheim nodded. "Oh yes, I know them very well. I know more things than many think."

"Then you'll also know that the world is in danger?" asked Luna.

"Yes. I was just recently visiting Konoha. I had quite a nice chat with the Hokage. He introduced me to a woman named Minerva McGonogall. She wanted me to join the battle. I requested for more time to think about it. She told me that you were trapped in something I manufactured, but I suppose you got out," Hohenheim smiled at Edward. "It's been too long. How have you been?"

"Fine, no thanks to you!" Ed spat out. "And under any other circumstances, I'd stomp away, but McGonogall wanted me to bring you back. We're going to Central to unseat the Fuhrer, and the next train leaves in twenty minutes. Let's go!" He grabbed Hohenheim by his scarf, and they marched back to the train station.

* * *

Hinata and Alphonse sat silently in the waiting room. Sirius and Harry had been hospitalized for their injuries, and Lust and Gluttony had gone AWOL. Alphonse seemed deep in thought about something, and Hinata was not going to interrupt.

"Hinata?" Al finally spoke.

"Yes?"

"Do you think what Barry said was true? That my brother created me?"

"Oh, Alphonse, why would you believe something like that?" replied Hinata. "He was just messing with your head! It's something my cousin would do."

"But I barely remember my childhood at all. All I can remember is that gate, and things from after I became armor. What if I really am artificial?" Al had never felt so scared. Hinata put a hand on Al's shoulder to calm him down. "You can't see anything inside me when you use the Byakugan can you? What if I'm just a suit of armor that Ed brought to life?"

"You're a real human being! You're not artificial! You're a soul trapped in a suit of armor, and your body's still out there! We're going to get it back!" Hinata informed Al fiercely.

"Al! There you are!" Ed and crew chose that moment to burst in. "Look who I found!"

Al stood up and walked over to Ed. "Big brother, I have to know something."

"What's up?" Ed was aware that Al's voice took on a very serious tone.

"I want to know how you created me."


	22. Chapter 22: Lab 5

"What are you talking about?" Ed frowned at his younger brother.

"What Barry the Chopper said wasn't true! You're a real human being!" Hinata joined them, anxiously grabbing hold of Al's arm. She looked at Ed pleadingly. "Tell him it's not true!"

"What's not true? What's going on?" Ed remained clueless. "Wait, Barry the Chopper? Didn't he get executed?"

"No! His soul was put into armour!" Al explained.

"Just like you, huh?" said Ed.

"No, not like me! Brother, you don't have to lie to me! Tell me the truth! What really happened?" Al grabbed Ed by the collar. "What am I?"

"That's a stupid question. You're Alphonse Elric! You're a kid who got his soul trapped in a suit of armour. Where have you been for the last fourteen years?" Ed teased.

"You tell me." Al's voice was cold. "Tell me the truth, Edward. What did you want to say before? You wanted to tell me something! What was it?"

"It was nothing! Just drop it!" Ed turned away. "Why are you taking Chopper's word over mine?"

"He made some good points, _brother_… if you really are my brother." Al's tone spoke of his hurt feelings.

"What is that supposed to mean? Why are you doubting me?" Ed yelled. "Look at all we've been through together! Think about how much we've yet to accomplish! We grew up together, and we might die together in our quest! Have you forgotten?"

"Yes. Until now, I didn't realize how much I'd forgotten. I barely remember our childhood at all. Did everything happen like you said? Or was it all a lie? A lie all of you went along with?" Al glared at everyone in the room. "Right now, there isn't one of me that doesn't feel like crying. But the tears don't come. What kind of human can't cry? Tell me!" Al grabbed Ed by the shoulders and shook him.

"How could you doubt me, Al? Why the hell would I lie to you? I love you, whether you remember or not!" Ed snapped angrily, hitting his brother.

"Of course you love me! It's the sick, twisted love a proud inventor has for his experiments!" Al hit Ed back.

"Stop it, Al! You're real! Barry is a liar!" Hinata screamed, grabbing Al around his waist and pulling him back.

"Listen to the girl. Brothers shouldn't fight." Hohenheim stepped forth and restrained Ed as well. Ed glared at his brother, panting.

"Wait… you're… father?" Al gaped at Hohenheim.

"Alphonse. You're so tall!" Hohenheim smiled warmly at his son. Just then, two figures clad in black dropped in from the window.

"Everyone's here. Good." Lust acknowledged. She had something round wrapped in black cloth tucked under her arm. Scar gasped upon seeing Lust's face. His disguise didn't fool Gluttony, who sniffed the air in the waiting room.

"The scarred man!" he growled at Scar, tackling him.

"What?" Lust raised an eyebrow.

"The scarred man is wearing the appearance of a tasty woman, but he can't fool me! You're the one that hurt my Lust!" Gluttony tackled Scar, who fended him off. Scar's sleeve ripped, showing the tattoo Luna hadn't covered.

"Scar? Father? What's going on?" Al asked.

"It's midnight. I think you should all go home," a doctor who passed by told them.

"We're waiting to see our friends," Al explained, pointing to the door of Sirius and Harry's hospital room.

"Ah, yes. Black, Sirius and Potter, Harry," the doctor read off a clipboard. "They're in critical condition. We are currently not allowing them to have any visitors. Visiting hours is over, anyways."

"Critical condition? They only got bitten a few times," said Lust.

"They were bitten by unknown animals. They were also exposed to some unidentified poisons. Mr. Potter had quite a nasty fall, and Mr. Black has become infected from the bites," the doctor sighed. "I see none of you are going to leave until you see your friends. Like I said, visitors are not allowed. However, we are certain what they were exposed to is not contagious, so family is allowed to stay overnight if they wish. Is anybody here related?"

"I'm Black's wife," said Lust. She pointed at Gluttony. "This is his brother."

"I'm Harry's aunt," fibbed Izumi.

"I'm his cousin," lied Ed. The doctor peered at them suspiciously. She finally nodded, pulling out a ring of keys from her pocket.

"They're sleeping, so try to be quiet," the doctor opened the door and ushered the four in. She turned to the rest of the group. "Please go home."

"See you tomorrow," Naruto waved at them. Ed grabbed hold of Al's arm before he left.

"What?" Al said in an unfriendly voice.

"I never lied to you. I'll explain everything soon. Please don't hate me." Ed pleaded.

"I can't remember my childhood, but I remember everything we've been through together. I could never hate you, brother," Al told Ed. "That's the way you programmed me, isn't it?"

"I'll explain everything soon! Just wait!" Ed implored. "You're my only brother! I love you, Al!"

"I love you, too, brother." Al assured Ed. Gaara watched the exchange with narrowed eyes. Ed gave Al a sad smile before the doctor kicked them out.

"Where are we going to stay?" asked Luna as they exited the hospital.

"There are lots of hotels in Central," said Al.

"The Fuhrer said he's a short kid with blonde hair wearing red," Maria Ross told Denny Brosh. They were sitting on a bench across from the hospital, waiting for Ed and Al.

"There's only one short blonde boy there," said Brosh.

"Well, I guess orange is close enough," shrugged Ross. They approached the group.

"Fullmetal Alchemist, sir!" Ross and Brosh walked in front of Naruto and saluted him.

"I didn't realize you had a sister, Ed," Brosh nodded towards Scar. "Is she younger or older?"

"Wait, me? You think I'm Fullmetal?" Naruto pointed at himself.

"Sure!" said Brosh. "Of course, I thought you'd be fuller, and, uh… more metal, but looks can deceive, right?"

"That's not Edward," Al informed Ross and Brosh.

"But if he's not, who is Fullmetal?" asked Ross.

"He's staying at the hospital," explained Luna.

"Why are you here?" asked Scar.

"The Fuhrer instructed us to guard you," said Ross. "We're going to take you to a hotel." The group consented, and followed Ross and Brosh.

"Al, I was going to tell you this earlier. The Fuhrer's Chakra is the same as Lust and the others. He really is a homunculus!" Hinata hissed to Al.

"Then he must know what's going on in Lab 5. It must be really important, or he wouldn't have made us leave. I'm going to go investigate as soon as I manage to sneak away from Ross and Brosh," decided Al.

* * *

Harry woke up. He groaned. His leg was killing him! He slowly opened his eyes. 

"Harry! You're up!" Harry painfully turned his head to the side. Ed and Izumi were sitting beside his bed.

"What time is it? How long have I been here?" Harry remembered all the things that had happened before he was put into the hospital.

"It's 3:30 in the morning," Ed told him. "You've been out cold for a pretty long time."

"No kidding. Sirius told you that we went to Lab 5, right?" Harry sat up, rubbing his sore neck. Across the room, Sirius was also sitting up. Lust was at his bedside, peeling him an apple with her nails. Harry's godfather was quite bruised up, and his bites had swollen to a bright purple hue.

"What are we going to do now?" asked Ed.

"I really want to destroy the last two horcruxes," said Harry.

"One of them Pride," Lust reminded him. "He's Dante's absolute joy… a homunculi that can age. He also happens to be the Fuhrer. This one won't be as easy as the others."

"The other one's the snake. It's probably sitting loyally at Voldemort's side right now," said Harry. "I say we go for the Fuhrer first."

"_Harry Potter… the Chosen One…_"

"What? Who said that?" Harry looked around the room.

"Said what?" asked Sirius.

"_I want to kill you right now… but master forbids me to…_" the voice became louder.

"Cut it out! It's creepy!" Harry snapped.

"What are you talking about?" Izumi raised her eyebrows.

"_I want to rip you apart… feast on your flesh… pick your bones dry…kill… kill…_" It was so loud, Harry was mystified as to why the others couldn't hear it. Then, he remembered the ability he had that others didn't. But there was no way another speaker of Parseltongue could be anywhere nearby… right?

Edward suddenly stomped his foot. He changed his automail into the lance, and stabbed something under Harry's bed.

"There's a huge snake curled up under Harry's bed!" Ed announced.

Both Lust and Gluttony left their posts to see.

"Ugh. Disgusting," Lust shuddered.

"Can I eat it?" inquired Gluttony.

"There's a big hole in the floor. It must've gotten in through that!" speculated Izumi.

"Die!" Ed cried, stabbing the snake multiple times. Finally, its head was severed. Its body kept on moving, but that was short-lived, as Ed snapped its spine. There was a whooshing sound. A purple glow escaped from the snake. With a _poof_, it evaporated above them all.

"That's Voldemort's snake!" Harry recognized when Ed picked up the head for him to see.

"Oh. Right. Nagini. She and Gluttony didn't get along," recalled Lust. Gluttony was happily devouring her remains. "She's another horcrux. Now there's only Pride left."

"What are we waiting for, then? Let's go!" Harry hopped out of bed. He howled in pain, suddenly remembering that he was quite unable to hop right that moment.

"You guys should quiet down, or the doctor's going to think you're torturing Harry," someone said from the open window. Everyone turned to see Luna, Gaara and Naruto sneaking in through it.

"What are you doing here?" asked Sirius.

"It turns out our guards were pretty crummy. We were all able to sneak away," Naruto snickered.

"They'll realize eventually," Lust assured them.

"Wait, all of you? Where's Al?" asked Ed.

"Oh, Al and the others went to check out Lab 5. We thought we'd come visit you," said Luna.

"Does the Fuhrer know what's going on in Lab 5?" Ed asked Lust.

"We all do," replied Lust. "He probably has a nice trap set up for us in there."

"Damn it! I'm going to go help my brother!" Ed yelled. "I'll see you all later." He grabbed his coat and ran out the door.

"Edward! I'd better keep an eye on him," said Izumi, exiting as well.

"I want to go, too!" Harry tried to get up again, yielding no results.

"Wait. Let me see your wounds." Luna quickly fixed up Harry and Sirius' injuries, and they all prepared to leave.

"We should separate into two groups. Sirius, Gluttony and I will pick up where we left off earlier. The rest of you help Harry kill the Fuhrer." Lust tossed the round object she was carrying to Harry. "You'll need this."

"What is it?" asked Harry. He unwrapped the black cloth, revealing a human skull.

"Gluttony and I went down to the Fuhrer's mansion. It was amazingly easy to convince his young son to reveal his greatest treasure," Lust pulled out a small bottle of Veritaserum. "That's a part of the human Pride was created from. Homunculi are not real humans, but an imitation of the truth. Therefore, we are weakened if we are confronted with any part of our original. That skull will help you defeat him." There was sadness in Lust's words that admitted how badly she wanted to rid herself of those characteristics.

"You've kept your end of the bargain. I promise I'll keep mine," Harry pledged. "We'll make you human."

"Why do you want to become human so badly?" asked Gaara. "Right now, you are the closest thing to immortality. You are stronger than a hundred humans, and you can't die!"

"That's not true. Everything dies eventually…" Lust sighed. "I don't know what happens to soulless creatures when they die… I don't know what will happen to me if I died right now… where will I go? Will I just fade away, only leaving the destruction I caused as proof of my existence? Perhaps if I had a soul, I could be sure."

* * *

"Be really careful. Pride definitely beefed up security since we were last here," Sirius cautioned Harry. 

"We'll take a left, and you go right," Harry decided when they came to a fork.

"There are traps. Watch your step," Lust warned the group. "We'll meet back outside!"

Harry & crew waved at them, and they parted. They walked for several minutes without any major mishaps.

"Do you think he's going to come?" asked Luna.

"He has to! I'm so close to fulfilling my destiny!" replied Harry. He stomped forward. The step he walked on suddenly sunk. An ominous creak sounded.

"AAAAHHHHHH!" everyone (except for Gaara) screamed in an undignified fashion as large axes swung down on them. They all ducked, Naruto nearly getting chopped in half in the process.

"That was a close one!" Naruto yelped, leaning against the wall. The brick sunk. "Oh no…" Naruto's face turned blue.

"What?" asked Harry. The wall flipped over, sending Naruto to the other side. The wall across from it flipped as well. Walls of spikes replaced them. Harry, Luna and Gaara ducked/ magicked the spikes away/ covered himself with a shield of sand to avoid getting impaled. They didn't have time to try and save Naruto. The skull rolled away from Harry. It would've been broken if Luna didn't retrieve it as it rolled by her.

"What do we do now!" Luna demanded when she stepped on another brick that triggered another trap, this time involving blades that shot at them.

"Run!" Harry yelled, and they did exactly that. After a few more traps (including the huge ball), they found themselves in a large room filled with vats of pinkish-red liquid. Someone came up behind them, clapping. They all swerved around to see a dark-haired man wearing a crisp, blue uniform.

"I see you've made it here safe and sound," he was friendly and pleasant, as usual. "Welcome to Amestris."

"Where's the Fuhrer?" Harry demanded.

"You're looking at him," the man pulled up his eye patch. His left eye was slightly scarred. He slowly rolled down his eyeball to reveal a red tattoo upon the white. It was the Ouroborus. "I am Pride."

* * *

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Naruto screamed. He crashed to the floor, only to do a somersault. He flipped over the edge of a very large hole. Someone quickly grabbed him by the collar, stopping his descent. He sighed in relief. 

"I can't hold on to you!" the other party informed him. Naruto swiftly grasped them around the waist. He looked around.

They were in what looked like another corridor, swinging over the edge of a large pit. An eerie light emitted from it. The sounds that came from below told Naruto that something very unpleasant was down there. The person who had saved him seemed to be a young girl.

"Thank you!" Naruto called.

"My hands are slipping!" the girl cried. "I can't hold on anymore!"

Indeed, her grip did loosen. It wasn't long before Naruto felt himself tumbling down again. The creatures below grew more excited. Naruto closed his eyes.

He was standing in front of a bunch of bars.

"Kid… come close…" a voice growled from behind it. Naruto cautiously approached. Something swiped at him, and he jumped back. A pair of glowing eyes stared at him from behind the bars. "I want to devour you, but I can't."

"I get it! You're the demon fox!" Naruto cried.

"That's right. I've shared your body for a long time."

"Then do me a favour and pay some rent! Give me your Chakra or I'll die!" Naruto yelled.

"If you die, I'll die too. Very well. Here you go."

Naruto felt power flow from the fox to him. His eyes snapped open. He quickly grabbed the girl with one arm. Holding out his other hand, Naruto sent a stream of Chakra that fixed to the ceiling. He rapidly pulled them out of the pit. Not a moment too soon. He heard the snapping of fangs, and felt the splattering of saliva.

"That was close!" Naruto panted after he and the girl both touched solid ground.

"Xiao-Mei!" the girl cried. A tiny animal bounded up into her arms. "I thought I was a goner for sure!" They hugged and wept.

Naruto was able to get a closer look at the girl. She looked no older than 10. The girl had large eyes and long black hair that was tied into buns on either side of her head. Her appearance and clothes didn't match that of the other Amestrians Naruto had seen. The animal she called Xiao-Mei was a tiny panda.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki," Naruto introduced himself.

"My name's Mei Chang, and this is Xiao-Mei," the girl smiled at him. "We're from Xing. You don't look like you're from around here either."

"I'm from Konoha," replied Naruto. He gave her a brief summery of what he was doing in Amestris. "Why are you here?"

"Back in Xing, my clan is the most powerless of all," Mei told Naruto sadly. "Xiao-Mei and I decided to journey to Amestris. After we came here, we saved some miners who told us about Edward Elric. We came to Central to look for him!"

"You came all the way to Central to look for _Ed?_" Naruto made a face. "I can tell you right now that it was a waste of time."

"Do you know him?" Mei asked eagerly. "What's he like? Oh, he must be so tall and handsome and marvellous!" both she and Xiao-Mei sighed dreamily.

"Yeah, right!" Naruto snickered. "More like short, ugly and cranky. Why did you come to Amestris in the first place?"

"We're here to seek immortality," Mei told Naruto seriously.

"Here's someone I can work with," a man walked up the hall and approached them. He was thin with black hair, sunglasses and pointy teeth. There was an Ouroborus tattoo on his hand. He was dragging the body of a boy with white hair, two red dots on his forehead and bones sticking out from his body behind him. "I'm Greed. Let's be friends."

"Don't hurt us! Don't come any closer!" Naruto and Mei begged, inching away from him.

"You smell like demon," Greed smiled at Naruto. "I could use you on my team. This guy was looking for you."

"Who is it?" Naruto asked.

"He called himself Kaguya Kimimaro, who works for some guy named Orochimaru. Appearantly, all the other homunculi are working for him as well. Then, we had a small argument, and I killed him," shrugged Greed. "He was powerful, buthe couldn't defeat the Ultimate Shield!"

"Um… sure… we'll leave you alone now…" Naruto and Mei attempted to sneak around him.

"Wait!" Greed blocked their way. "I'm not called Greed for nothing. I want _everything_, and immortality's one of them! I think you will benefit from serving me."

"Why would we want to do that?" demanded Naruto.

"I don't kill my allies." Greed's sunglasses glinted menacingly. Mei and Naruto glanced at each other fearfully, and quickly consented.

* * *

"Pride! The last horcrux!" Harry fired a hex at him. It merely bounced off and disintegrated. 

"I am Pride! I can see everything!" Pride roared. "How can you, a mere mortal, hope to defeat me?" He walked right up to the group. He stopped short when he was a few feet away from them. Pride started to shake.

"We know your weakness!" Luna cried. She pulled off the cloth and held the skull in front of her.

"You…" Pride walked towards her, his steps uneven. Luna slowly backed away, but right into a wall. "Stupid girl!" Pride seized her around the neck and choked her. With his other hand, he reached for his sword. His movements were slowed down by his proximity to the skull.

"Stop it! Let me go!" Luna screamed. Harry hexed Pride again, but to no avail. Luna pressed the skull into Pride's chest. He gagged, his movements slowing down even more. He got his sword and slowly plunged it into Luna's stomach. She yelled out in pain.

"Let her go!" sand gathered around Pride, forming a solid coffin. It restrained his body, preventing him from hurting Luna anymore. Gaara stepped up to them, holding out his hands. Pride's body exploded. Luna staggered away from him, clutching her stomach. Gaara's sand dispersed. Pride's body reformed, and Gaara gathered his sand around him again.

"You… can't kill me…" Pride gasped. "I… can't… die…"

"I'll kill you until you do," Gaara growled. He took the skull from Luna, and held it before him. Pride was exploded again, and he reformed again. It went on for several minutes, until Pride's energy was used up. After Pride died for the last time, the skull simply turned to dust. Pride's body collapsed to the ground. The majority of his organs and body fluids were splattered onto the walls. A wisp of purple smoke burst out of his mouth, dissolving into the air.

"Guys! There you are! What happened?" Sirius, Lust and Gluttony ran into the room. Gluttony was towing the remnants of a large boy with a red mohawk. Much to Sirius' horror and Lust's embarrassment, he was feasting on the boy's arm.

"Gaara killed Pride, but Luna's hurt," Harry told them.

"What is this room?" Al, Hinata and Hohenheim burst in through a wall.

"You're safe!" Harry greeted them happily.

"Harry? Aren't you supposed to be in the hospital?" Al asked in surprise.

"He got better," Ed and Izumi entered. Both were quite injured, and Ed's automail arm was hanging on by a few wires.

"Al!" Ed cried happily, running up to his brother and embracing him.

"What happened to you?" Hohenheim asked of their wounds.

"This weird guy with six arms came out of nowhere and attacked us!" Ed announced.

"We almost lost, too," Izumi confirmed.

"This person with two heads attacked us," said Hohenheim.

"But none of you are injured at all," Sirius observed.

"You're all here." Scar entered the room, still girly. He had some bruises, and his clothes were torn.

"That's Scar, by the way. He's on our side now. Luna transfigurated him," Ed enlightened Harry and Sirius. They gasped, peering at him in disbelief.

"Did you fight, too?" Izumi.

"Yes. It was a girl with a flute." Scar's tone hinted that the girl lost.

"We didn't get the Philosopher's Stone, but we managed to get rid of all of Voldemort's horcruxes," said Harry. "Maybe we should go back?"

"Is everyone here?" asked Izumi.

"No! Naruto-kun's missing!" announced Hinata.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Naruto raced into the room. Mei and Greed followed him.

"Oh. You." Lust frowned at him.

"I don't know you. You must be new. I'm Greed," Greed introduced himself. He looked at Gluttony, who continued to eat. "I remember you. Still packing on the pounds, eh?"

The ceiling above them suddenly exploded. Everyone ran out of the way. A lot of people fell through, crashing to the ground. They all wore the uniforms of prisoners. They got to their feet dizzily. One man with long black hair and transmutation circles tattooed onto his palms stood in the middle of them, laughing manically.

"What are they doing here?" demanded Al.

"This is where the government conducted their experiments on Philosopher's Stone," explained Lust. "Basque Gran and Tim Marcoh were both part of it."

"I get it…" Ed realized. "They took the prisoners from next door… the ones who were on death row… and experimented on them!"

"Yes. Those are the ingredients needed for the Stone," Lust indicated to the vats of red liquid stationed around the room.

"Really? What are they made of?" asked Al. Lust and Ed nodded grimly towards the prisoners. Al's eyes flickered. "No… you're not saying…"

"Souls, Al. The prime ingredient used in creating the Philosopher's Stone is lives. That's what I wanted to tell you earlier." Ed shrugged apologetically. "Now you know."

"The ingredients are useless as they are now. There's a circle under the rubble. If you transmute them together with those prisoners, they could still amount to something," said Lust. "You could create a Philosopher's Stone right now."

Ed touched his left hand to his right, and rebuilt the ceiling. Al stood beside him, and they both looked at what was before them. There was indeed a large transmutation circle on the floor. The prisoners who were standing inside looked at them pitifully. The room was filled with the glow of the souls of past prisoners.

"If we move those vats to certain places on the circle…" Edward mused.

"No, Ed. Don't do it." Al placed a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Al, I want to give you your body back. I want to prove to you that I never lied to you," Ed looked at Al sadly.

"I believe you, Ed. I was wrong to doubt you. I know my body still exists. However, if it means that others will die, I don't want my body back. I'm happy in this armour." Alphonse looked warmly at the people who accompanied them to Amestris. "I have my friends. I have you."

Edward hugged Alphonse. "I'll find some way to get your body back. We're so close, Al… please trust me."

"Nobody move! Reinforcements are on the way! We'll get you out in no time!" Ross and Brosh ran into the room.

"Crud. they found us." Naruto made a face.

"Is that the Fuhrer?" Brosh gasped, pointing at Pride's remains.

"Er… remember when we said that he was evil? Well, we sort of, er… _kill_ evil people," Harry told them sheepishly.

"The Fuhrer died bravely in combat, managing to kill some of the disgraceful experiments conducted in this laboratory before they dealt him a death blow," Maria Ross saluted the group.

"What?" said Brosh.

"Just leave those bodies here," Ross motioned to the bodies Greed and Gluttony brought into the room. "Edward Elric and his friends left for Xing last night. We will clear everything with the military."

"I want to tell them the truth!" said Harry.

"They won't believe you. They'll just hate you for killing their beloved Fuhrer," said Lust.

"The Fuhrer's wife and adopted son are good, caring people. It is better if they believe he died honourably," added Maria. "The others will get here soon. Hurry up and leave."

"How do we get back?" asked Ed.

"We can use a portkey. Sirius, let me borrow your wand," Lust took the wand. She picked up the black cloth used to wrap the skull, and pointed the wand at it. "_Portus._" The cloth started to glow blue.

"Grab on!" Harry instructed, putting his finger on a corner of it. Everyone else did the same.

"Thanks for letting us go," Ed told Ross and Brosh.

"No problem. Good luck saving the world!" Brosh and Ross saluted them as the portkey transported them out of Amestris.

* * *

Three people were sitting around a table in a cold, dimly lit room. One was a bald, serpentine man dressed in black. The other man was also snake-like, but looked younger, and had a full head of luxurious black hair. The final was a young woman with short, brown hair who was coughing furiously. 

"Damn! I can't believe they failed!" the bald man cursed. "I thought they ones you sent were your best ninjas, Orochimaru? How could your pride and joy be destroyed by a little boy, Dante?"

"Perhaps…" Dante coughed out a little bit of blood. "We underestimated those children. I never expected them to kill my best homunculus."

"It's not over yet. They can still be defeated. All three of us are immortal, no?" Orochimaru pointed out.

"Without my horcruxes, I am just a man with only a portion of his soul left," Voldemort grumbled.

"Lyra's body is rotting away… I need the Stone." Dante pulled down the collar of her dress to reveal a very ugly rash on her chest. "Your people were supposed to retrieve the ingredients. Every time I get a new body, it costs part of my soul. I need the Stone, or I may not survive the next transaction!"

"Voldemort, you can just make some new horcruxes," Orochimaru told Voldemort.

"Every time I make a horcrux, my soul is split right in _half._ I don't have one-seventh of a soul, I have 1/64. The amount of soul I have doesn't affect my powers, but it affects my peace of mind!" growled Voldemort. "I _clearly_ cannot trust you dirty, stupid muggles to help protect my soul."

"Dante, we could move you into another body." Orochimaru ignored his cranky ally. "We can create a Philosopher's Stone here… using the inhabitants of Hogwarts."

"I like the way you think," Dante smiled appreciatively at Orochimaru. She fell into another fit of coughing.

"Kabuto. Go get Kin," Orochimaru commanded the silver-haired, bespectacled boy standing near the door. Kabuto bowed, and exited the room. A moment later, he returned with the black-haired girl that attacked Team 7 during the Chuunin Exam.

"You wish to see me, master?" Kin inquired.

"Yessss… come here." Orochimaru beckoned her. Kin suspiciously approached, stopping in front of Dante.

"So long and black." Dante reached out a pale hand and ran in through Kin's hair. She took Kin's face and examined it. "A very pretty, healthy girl. Thank you, Orochimaru. I'll take it."

* * *

**Note: **Mei Chang and Xiao-Mei are characters from the manga. For those that don't read it, just google them if you want to see what they look like. They're my favourite characters, and I really wanted to include them. Xiao-Mei is so awesome, no? 

In case I didn't mention it before Jiraiya removed the seal Orochimaru put on Naruto during their stay in the Grimmauld place.

That's all I wanted to say… I hope I didn't miss anything. This was a really long chapter. The end is nearing …yay, I think… :)


	23. Chapter 23: Back in Hogwarts

Those who were standing on the front lawn of Hogwarts at 6:00 a.m. on September 6 were treated to a strange and rather comical sight. A small whirlwind occurred, seemingly out of nowhere. A group of people soon came into sight. The group was composed of 3 ninjas, 2 wizards, a witch, 5 alchemists, 3 homunculi, a murderer and a panda. They were all twirling around in the sky, holding onto a piece of blue cloth for dear life. Of course, the inhabitants of Hogwarts were usually asleep at 6 a.m., which means the only people that saw their painful landing was Kakashi and Tonks, who happened to be on duty at the front entrance.

"You're back!" Tonks greeted them warmly.

"I'll go tell McGonogall-sensei," Kakashi told them, running into the building.

"How did it go?" asked Tonks.

"Pretty good. We didn't find the Philosopher's Stone, but all the horcruxes were destroyed," said Harry.

"Good for you!" Tonks praised them. She glanced at the group. She gasped when she saw Sirius. "You really are alive!" She ran over and hugged him.

"Yes. That place was so horrible, I'm so glad I got out!" Sirius told his cousin.

"Don't do anything so stupid ever again! We were all convinced that you were dead!" Tonks scolded him.

A wrench flew out of nowhere, headed straight for Ed. He instinctively ducked, and it hit the person behind him- Harry. The wrench slid off, and a walnut-sized bump swelled up on Harry's head.

"Harry! I'm so sorry!" Winry cried, dashing across the lawn. She leapt towards him, and on impulse, he caught her in his arms. "That was supposed to hit Ed! Welcome back!"

"Er… hello, Winry," Harry said uncomfortably. Harry noticed that she smelled like oil and steel, but not in a bad way.

"What? Your best friend doesn't get a welcome-back?" Ed demanded. He felt something large and metal hit him on the side of his head. Soon, he too had a bump. He turned around. He saw Temari and Kankurou standing there.

"Welcome back," Temari smirked evilly, brandishing her fan.

"You idiot!" Winry gasped, rushing over to Ed. She struck him on the head with another wrench, and another bump swelled up, making him look like he had a blonde version of Tenten and Mei's hairstyles.

"What did I do?" Ed squeaked, backing away.

"You broke your automail! The best automail I ever made!" Winry screeched, shaking Ed's metal arm to add emphasis. The last piece of wire that connected it snapped, and the arm broke off. Winry shrieked a harpy-like scream of rage.

"I'm going to kill you!" Winry announced, running towards a frightened Edward. Temari stuck out her fan, holding Winry back.

"You can fix it, right?" asked Temari.

"Yes…" Winry was still plotting ways to torture Ed.

"Then please do," McGonogall walked out of the building. Kakashi, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Mustang, Hughes, Tenten and Neji followed, eager to see their friends.

"Harry! You're okay!" Hermione cried, speeding to his side. She hugged him. Ginny followed suit. Harry was surprised to discover that he preferred Winry's mechanic scent to her flowery one.

"Wait a second. Is it my imagination, or are there more of you?" McGonogall pursed her lips.

"This is Greed. He followed us back," Lust introduced the sunglasses-wearing homunculus.

"Bastards!" Envy came running out of the castle. He delivered to Greed a punch in the face. He twirled in mid-air, and gave Hohenheim a kick in the gut.

"Envy! Mind your manners! Is that any way to behave around strangers?" McGonogall snapped.

"They're not strangers. That bastard and I go way back!" Envy pointed menacingly at Greed. He then shifted his glare to Hohenheim. "And _that_ bastard is my father!"

"What!" everyone gasped.

"That's not possible! Hohenheim's _my_ father!" yelled Ed.

"I remember now… you must be him… the son I had with Dante…" Hohenheim said to Envy. Envy nodded sullenly. Everyone gasped.

"Dante? Our enemy?" inquired Lust.

"Yes. Centuries ago, Dante and I had a son who died of mercury poisoning. I made the mistake of trying to bring him back to life. This is the result," Hohenheim motioned towards Envy.

"That bastard abandoned me! I've been trying to get my revenge ever since!" announced Envy. "Edward and Alphonse… my little half brothers. I hate how his blood runs in your veins! And I hate how he stayed to care for you when he left me!" Envy shape shifted into the golden-haired likeness of his original. The similarity between he, Hohenheim and Edward struck everyone right away. "I hate all of you humans! Even after centuries, you are the same pitiful, corrupted creatures you always were and always will be!"

"Heh," Kankurou let out a chuckle.

"What?" demanded Envy.

"You three brothers are a shape shifting palm tree, an automail pipsqueak and a piece of armor. I never thought I'd ever find a family as weird as mine," said Kankurou. The purple make-up on his mouth turned up.

"Shut up!" Ed snapped. "Winry, where's your new workshop?"

"Headquarters. But I expected this to happen. I've got a spare arm and leg, I can fix you up in the nurse's ward," said Winry.

"We'll go there. I'm useless like this!" Ed looked at the wires protruding from his arm in disgust. He walked back towards the school, hitting Kankurou on his head on the way. Winry quickly scurried after him.

"I've got to get back to duty. I've got toilets to clean," Envy glowered, stomping back into the school. He kicked Kankurou in the stomach when he passed by.

"This is why nobody likes you," Temari shook her head at her brother, who didn't seem to find his injuries as funny as his observation. She went off to catch up to Winry and Ed. "Wait up, Ed!"

Naruto suddenly felt something very sharp chomp on his hand. He screeched in pain. Naruto grabbed the perpetrator by the back of its neck and held it in front of his face. Xiao-Mei was dangling from his hand. She was pointing urgently to something. Mei Chang was lying on the ground, fainted.

"Who's this?" asked McGonogall.

"A girl I met in Lab 5. Her name's Mei, and she says she's from some place called Xing," said Naruto.

"Xing? That's all the way on the other side of the Great Desert!" gasped Roy.

"This must be her first time universe-traveling. At her young age, it's not surprising that she fainted. Get her to the nurse's ward. She should be fine after a bit." Naruto grabbed her arm and hauled her towards the school. Maes, feeling bad for Mei, walked over and picked her up. They all went inside. "Is anybody else hurt?" McGonogall asked the group.

"Luna," Gaara said grimly. He half-carried, half-dragged the unconscious witch to the front door.

"I'll help you," Hermione volunteered, running over and opening the door for them. She looked sharply at Ron, who quickly arrived at their side. They carefully hoisted each of Luna's arms over their shoulders, and slowly walked into the castle. Luna's eyes fluttered open.

"Where…?" she asked faintly.

"Back in Hogwarts," Gaara assured her.

"Is Pride…?"

"He's gone. I killed him." A gentle expression appeared in Gaara's eyes. He gently stroked her cheek with one rough hand. "You're safe."

"My stomach hurts…" Luna groaned. Blood was still seeping out of her injury. Gaara reached out a finger and touched her wound. Some blood trickled down his finger. He looked at it, intrigued. Hermione and Ron winced at each other.

"What are you waiting for?" Gaara's expression was sharp again as he looked at Hermione and Ron. All four of them slowly made their way towards the nurse's ward.

"What is the murderer doing here?" Outside, McGonogall was staring at Scar. His disguise had worn off. It was clear that his scuffle with Tayuya had injured him as well. He was bleeding heavily, and his face had a green sheen. There were bite and claw marks all over his body.

"It's a long story, but he's on our side now," said Izumi. "What happened, Scar? You looked fine back in Lab 5."

"The chimaeras. They're poisonous." Lust recalled. "Remember how purple Sirius' wounds turned? He doesn't have much time."

"But he'll be fine, right? I was healed!" Sirius protested.

"Those chimaeras were specially designed for the Chakras of the people living in our world. You have a different Chakra, so their venom is less toxic to you. However, Scar is of our world… with the same Chakra system. Better get him to the hospital," even as Lust explained, Scar had crashed down to the ground. His face was now blue, and he was throwing up blood.

"I can't refuse shelter to a man in pain," McGonogall softened. "Someone get him to the nurse's ward. But we may have to relocate him to the hospital later." Roy helped Scar up and they went inside.

"You must be the Headmistress, Professor McGonogall." Izumi said to McGonogall. "I'm Izumi Curtis, Edward's teacher."

"Nice to meet you," McGonogall shook hands with her. "I would like you and Hohenheim to accompany me inside. I'd like to offer you some time to freshen up. After that, there is some business I'd like to discuss with you. Sirius, Molly is at the Headquarters right now, and I have informed her of your condition. You should go back, I hear she's planning you a nice meal."

The three of them walked back into the castle.

"I'm going back inside. School is starting soon," said Ginny. "I'm not tired, so if anybody wants a tour of Hogwarts, I'd be happy to show them."

"What a big castle," Greed's eyes shone like starts. "Lead the way, little lady." They went inside the castle as well.

"I'm going to get some sleep. I'm sure McGonogall won't let me miss any school. Besides, I have this year's Quidditch tryouts to plan," Harry said good-bye, and left.

"We should go see Sloth and find out what she's been teaching. We have to plan today's lesson," Lust told Gluttony. They also left.

"I'm going to go home. Nothing can top Mrs. Weasley's cooking," Sirius grinned. "See you!" he walked towards the gate.

"Let's go see my cousin off," Tonks suggested to Kakashi and they followed him.

"Sasuke's the only person on guard right now. I'm going to go, too. Don't forget that you have to take over in an hour," Kankurou reminded Neji before he disappeared. Now Tenten, Neji, Hinata and Al were the only ones left.

"You heard him. We should go," Neji told Hinata. "You made it back, huh? Frankly, I expected you to come running back as soon as the others boarded that bus. I certainly didn't expect you to live. Did they force you to stay?"

"No, Neji," said Al. "No one forced her to do anything. Hinata came of her own will, and she was very helpful."

"Of course, one loser would defend another," Neji scoffed.

"I know you have it hard, Neji, but that's not an excuse for the way you treat everyone! You're not the only one with a tough life! Don't be such a jerk!" Alphonse snapped.

"Shut up! You shouldn't be talking! You have no idea how I feel!" Neji yelled. "No one knows how I feel, especially not a hollow chunk of metal! Do you even _have_ feelings?"

"I… don't know…" Al gasped. "Do I?" He ran off, and amazingly fast too, for a heavy piece of armour.

"What a loser," Neji curled his lips in contempt.

Hinata clenched her fists and looked down at her feet. She felt her body shaking, and goosebumps running up and down her spine. She'd endured his teasing for a long time. She had dealt with it by ignoring, but this was the last straw. She'd already seen how hurt Al was on the inside, and she was sure Neji could, too. During their time in Lab 5, she had finally convinced Al that Edward loved him too much to ever lie to him. Although the proof that he existed was yet to be found, Al believed in its existence again. However, with just one comment, Neji had driven the uncertainty back.

Hinata shifted her much of Chakra into her right hand. It emitted a red glow the same hue as her flushed face. There was nothing Hinata would've liked better than to punch Neji. But he was bigger, older, smarter and stronger than her. He was a genius. She couldn't punch him, even though he had hurt a dear friend of hers. She hadn't all those years he'd made fun of her, so couldn't now, even though Alphonse would do the same for her. She couldn't… could she?

Neji was caught unaware as a bright beam of red light came towards him. His cousin Hinata leapt, her fist leading the way. It sailed straight at Neji, and made contact with his nose. The force was so great it knocked him down. He sat on the ground, seeing bright red starts and the armor headpieces dancing in front of his eyes. Hinata stood a few feet away, panting. She was just as shocked as Tenten and Neji.

"That was a good punch…" Neji gasped, suddenly seeing his cousin in a new light.

"You jerk! I feel bad for your position in the Hyuga family, but that's no reason to hurt others! If I could remove that mark, I would! I didn't brand you, and Alphonse certainly didn't, either! Neither of us made the rules in the Hyuga clan! So stop taking it out on us!" Hinata shouted. "Excuse me! I'm going to be late today! I have a friend I need to console!" With that, Hinata ran off to find Al.

There was a small smile of mirth playing on Tenten's lips as she helped her teammate up. "Wow, Neji," she remarked. "Your cousin's changed."

* * *

"Riza!" Ibiki called his partner. Riza ignored him and kept on walking. "Riza!" Ibiki called louder. Black Hayate tugged on her pant legs, but she ignored both of them. Ibiki ran up to her, and tapped her on the shoulder.

"What?" Riza and Ibiki's relationship had been rather strained since the day Ibiki gave her his lecture. She gave him a glare so cold he could feel his blood freeze over. "Well?"

"You're not still mad at me, are you?" Ibiki crossed his arms.

"What do you think?" Riza scowled.

"Look, about what I said… I'm sorry if I hurt you in any way," Ibiki sighed. "We're partners. We need to learn to get along."

"The reason what your said hurt me wasn't because it was true," Riza dropped her mask. Her eyes softened and saddened. "It's because it was. I realized that I wasted my whole life. Roy doesn't need me anymore, does he? He never needed me."

"It's good that you and Roy are such great friends," Ibiki comforted her. "He's aiming to be the leader of a nation. He needs all the friends he can get. He needed your support all those years. He still needs you to be his friend. But you don't need to live for him. You should live your own life."

"I want to." Riza sighed. "But this is how I've always lived. My father who was also Roy's teacher died some time ago. Right before he died, Roy joined the military, much to my father's displeasure. My mother died when I was young, and our relatives kept their distance. I gave up the house and followed Roy's footsteps into the military. He's basically the only family I have. But other than him, I have nothing to go back to in Amestris."

"You're finally on your feet. It's time to walk. Roy is happy now. You should pursue your own dreams. Our shift's almost over. Let's get a drink," Ibiki offered. "I'd like to hear more about Amestris."

"Yes. Let's. I've heard of a good place in Hogsmeade called The Three Broomsticks," Riza smiled. "I'd like to learn more about Konoha as well."

* * *

"Alphonse." Hinata found her friend sitting by the riverbank.

"Hi, Hinata," Alphonse greeted her sadly.

"Alphonse, don't listen to what Neji said. He was just being mean, as usual. He always takes his anger out on others. You're real! You're not a machine!" Hinata told him breathlessly.

"I don't know, Hinata. Where's the proof? What is a soul, really?" Al shrugged. Hinata sat down beside him.

"Please believe me! Don't take the word of a psychotic murderer over your own brother's! You're a talking, thinking _human being!" _Hinata gripped Al's arm. "Ed really does love you. If you were just a machine that he created, would he have spent all these years protecting you and fighting by your side? Would he be this loyal to you?"

"I guess not. I don't know, okay? I can't be sure of anything anymore!" Al buried his face in his hands. Hinata patted his back soothingly.

"Are you sure you can't remember anything from your childhood?"

"I can remember all the stupid fights me and Edward used to have. We fought over who got the last piece of pie… who got the last piece of chicken… who got to marry Winry…" Al chuckled. "Ed always won that one, but he always got rejected. All three of us used to play together. We used to run through the fields, go swimming in the river and play with the animals. And when we stayed out too late, mom flashed a lamp by the upstairs window to let us know she was waiting."

"See? You can remember lots of things," Hinata smiled.

"I remember when mom died. She was getting weaker and weaker and finally, the life her in eyes sort of… faded. I can remember her funeral, too. Almost everyone we knew was there. Everyone was dressed in black…" Alphonse reminisced. "But those memories could've just been created by Ed."

"Edward is pretty smart, but how can a human create a machine that imitates life so convincingly?"

"In our world, it's not impossible." Al put an arm around Hinata, who blushed and drew closer to him. "I'm sure you're warm right now, but I can't feel that. I can hear your heart beat, but I don't have one. And all of those memories make me want to cry, but I can't. What kind of human being am I if I don't feel? If I don't shed tears, and my heart doesn't beat?" They sat in silence for a few moments.

"Hinata… can you see it?" Al asked. "Can you use your Byakugan to see my soul?" Hinata utilized her hereditary trait.

"I'm sorry, Alphonse. I can't."

"If something like the Byakugan can't see it, then where's the proof it really exists!" cried Alphonse.

"A soul is invisible, Alphonse. But with my Byakugan, I can see your Chakra flowing through you. Machines don't have Chakra." Hinata told Alphonse. "Maybe you can't feel anything in the physical world, but you can feel emotions. You can feel pain, happiness, sadness, all those emotions, can't you?"

"Yes."

"Edward knows you better than anyone else, and you know him best. Even if you can't prove anything he says, maybe you should just trust him for now." Hinata smiled sadly. "You're lucky to have a big brother who loves you so much."

"I guess you're right. Edward stuck by my side all these years. We got into this mess together, and we'll get out together, too. He did so much for me. I really should trust him more. Come on, Hinata." Al jumped to his feet. "Let's go see him."

* * *

Luna regained consciousness in the nurse's room. Gaara was sitting at her bedside. Edward was in the bed across from hers, lying on his stomach. Winry was sitting by his bedside, polishing a shiny auto-mail arm, and Temari was sitting beside her, listening to her explain happily about her profession. Mei was still unconscious. Naruto was sitting by her bedside, petting her panda. Roy and Hughes watched as Madam Pomfrey fussed over Scar. Eloise Midgen was observing everyone alertly. She had landed in the hospital again, after consuming a potion that had made eyes pop up over her body. Colin Creevey was there, too. A sixth year had cursed off all of his facial features when she caught him sneaking around the girl's bathroom (Colin's talents as a photographer had gone wrong somewhere along the road).

"Basilisks! Dementors! Dragons! Werewolves! Inferi! And now, Chimaeras!" Madam Pomfrey was grumbling as she dabbed ointment on Scar's wounds. "What on earth is next!"

"He'll be fine, won't he?" asked Luna.

"Of course, dear," Pomfrey assured her, but her tone was not so certain.

"Really?" Scar asked her.

"I won't lie to you, dear. This poison was very potent, and you've injected with too much of it. It might be your 'Chakra', as they call it. The infection spread awfully fast. I want you two to keep your distance." Pomfrey warned Roy and Hughes. "It doesn't look like it'll hurt me that much, but I think your Chakra system is the same as his."

Scar gave another bloody cough, punctuating her point. Roy and Hughes stepped back a bit. Scar's right ear had turned an ashy grey, and when Pomfrey went to adjust the bandage, it crumpled and fell off in her hand.

"Oh, dear," Pomfrey gasped.

"Is it too late?" asked Scar.

"It's never too late! Death and lycanthropy are the only things I can't heal!" Pomfrey snapped.

"Ed, it looks like I'm going to have to replace the base," Winry told her friend.

"Can't you just snap the new arm on, and then I can be on my way?" Ed demanded.

"No! You damaged the base! Look, it's all scratched and chipped! Lucky for you, I have a spare base, too." Winry took out her tools from her large suitcase and pried the base of the auto-mail off. Ed winced, but didn't scream.

"Doesn't that hurt?" Temari cringed.

"It's all worth it. Who needs natural when you've got auto-mail?" Winry's eyes sparkled. She took out a small saw. "If you are currently unsatisfied with your limbs, I can easily make a replacement you'll be happy with! And since you're trying to save the world, I'll make it half-price!"

"Um… that's okay…" Temari picked up her chair and relocated to the other side of Ed's bed. Alphonse and Hinata entered the room. Al was carrying a tray.

"Here, Ed. I brought breakfast," Al told his brother. He and Hinata pulled up chairs beside him.

"Thanks, Al." Ed's stomach grumbled. "Winry, I'm sort of hungry. Can the auto-mail wait until I eat?"

"Sure. I have to make some adjustments, anyway," said Winry. Ed sat up, and Al set the tray on his lap.

"Ed, I'm really sorry about what I said before," Al apologized. "I know that there's no proof my body is still out there. I'm still not fully convinced that something called a 'soul' exists. But Hinata and I were talking, and I decided that I should trust you anyway. You've always been there for me. I really am lucky that I have a big brother like you."

"I should apologize, too. I should've told you about the ingredients, but I didn't want to hurt you. The truth is, I feel that everything is my fault. I'll only feel better when you're back in your original form." Ed told Al. "The first thing I do after I find the Stone is to get your body back!"

"It's not totally your fault. I could've stopped you, but I was just as eager to see mom as you were. We're both to blame. We got into this together, and we'll get out together." Al held out his palm. "We're going to get our bodies back."

"Right!" Ed agreed, high-fiving him.

"No! Not again!" Pomfrey cried. This time, it was Scar's hand that fell off. He watched Ed and Al talk happily of their future, and he was reminded of his own brother. His own brother, who gave his life so he could live. His memory and the Elrics' devotion inspired warm, fuzzy feelings inside him. Scar's stomach gave another lurch, and more blood was coughed up. Roy and Hughes squealed like little schoolgirls and jumped away.

"Please tell me the truth. Is it too late?" Scar looked at Pomfrey seriously.

"No, no! Just hang tight!" Pomfrey commanded him. Scar suddenly felt intense pain inside him. He coughed up another wad of blood. Pomfrey quickly pulled out some tools, and examined him.

"What is it?" Scar demanded.

"The virus is spreading so fast… it's starting to eat away at your stomach. We might be able to save you if we get you to St. Mungo's…"

"No." Scar stood up. He stumbled over to Ed's bed. "Don't give him the auto-mail yet. Don't do anything until I come back."

"Why?" asked Winry.

"Just listen," Scar told her. He was still bleeding violently, and even as he spoke, his right arm was crumbling. He looked so scary that Winry nodded her consent. "Where's the old lady with glasses?"

"Professor McGonogall's probably in her office. I can take you," Roy Mustang felt pity for the man.

"Don't get too close," Pomfrey cautioned. "It's still contagious." Roy nodded, and they exited the room.

"I'm done. Thanks for bringing the meal," Ed told Al.

"Edward. You didn't drink your milk." Winry noticed.

"So?" Ed shrugged.

"How do you expect to grow if you don't drink it?" Winry asked.

"Why would I want to drink liquid secreted from a cow?" Ed made a face.

"Drink it," Winry commanded.

"No." Ed refused.

"_Drink_."

"_No_."

"Drink it!"

"No!"

"Drink it or I'll hurt you!" Winry threatened, pulling out a wrench.

"What? Where am I?" the commotion woke Mei up.

"You're in England," Hughes gave a brief explanation of what was happening.

"Oh. I was aiming to get across the Great Desert, but I didn't expect to get all the way to a whole new universe," said Mei.

"Why do you think people are always surprised that _you're_ the Fullmetal Alchemist and not Al!" Winry shrieked.

"I hate milk!" Ed yelled.

"Fullmetal Alchemist?" Mei's ears pricked up. "Where?" She and Xiao-Mei keenly looked around them.

"There," Hughes pointed at Ed.

"What? That little kid?" Mei gasped. "That bean-boy can't be the great Edward Elric!"

"Who are you calling short! You're barely taller than I am!" Ed yelled at Mei.

"How dare you break the heart of the 17th princess of Xing!" Mei and Xiao-Mei hugged each other and cried over their lost dreams.

"Drink your milk!" Winry shoved the bottle in front of Ed. Temari sighed. She took the bottle, and drained it.

"Stop arguing!" she ordered.

"You're the 17th princess?" Hughes was trying to recall how the government in Xing worked.

"The emperor takes a wife from each of the states in Xing," Mei reminded him. "I came here to find immortality before my clan dies out completely."

"You crossed the Great Desert all by yourself?" gasped Hughes.

"Yup. It was hard, and I didn't think I was going to make it. But Xiao-Mei helped keep my spirits up," the little panda gave Hughes a pointy-toothed grin.

"In Xing, you use alchemy for medical purposes, right?" asked Hughes.

"Yeah. I can do a little bit of alchemy," said Mei.

"Can you show us?" asked Hughes.

"I guess I owe Naruto for saving my life. Okay." Mei got out of bed. She took out some daggers from her bag. A portly, translucent man carrying a huge hammer suddenly floated into the room.

"Look at all of these hurt little kiddies," he giggled.

"Go away, Peeves!" Pomfrey commanded.

"Does anybody want to see a new trick I learned?" Peeves giggled. He lifted up the hammer and started hitting the wall with it. The wall was magically reinforced, but so was the hammer. The wall started to crumble.

"Peeves! Cut it out!" Pomfrey yelled. Peeves ignored her. Mei threw her daggers at him, and they landed on the wall. She threw some other daggers into the floor. Transmutation circles formed both on the wall and floor. Mei slapped her hands on the one on the floor, and did some alchemy. The wall reformed. Mei made a large fist come out of it and punch Peeves out of the window.

"That was something! I bet you could take away Ed's youngest state alchemist title!" Hughes complimented her. Ed snorted.

"Thank you," Mei smiled cutely. She walked over to the first in the wall, and collected her daggers. She looked at Pomfrey. "I feel better now. Is it okay if I leave?"

"Yes, fine." Pomfrey magicked away the fist on the wall. Mei and Xiao-Mei started for the door.

"Wait! Mei!" Naruto raced after her. "That was awesome!"

"Thanks. I'm a bit hungry. Do you know where the cafeteria is?" asked Mei.

"I'll show you," Naruto told her, and they left the nurse's ward together.

* * *

It was now lunchtime. Ron had finished eating, and he and Rose were standing in front of one of the empty classrooms. He opened the door, and was met with a shocking sight. Ginny and Greed. Snogging.

"What the bloody hell is this!" Ron cried in rage.

"Knock before you enter, eh, Ron?" Ginny giggled at the comical expression on his face.

"Ginny! Do you even know what that thing is? It's a homunculus! It's not even human!" Ron shrieked. "Get away from him!"

"Professor Lust is also a homunculus," shrugged Ginny.

"I absolutely forbid you to see him!" Ron exploded. "What was wrong with Harry? Why did you leave him!"

"If you must know, Harry was the one that dumped me," said Ginny.

"Why can't you pick somebody else! Anyone would be better than him! You and Jean Havoc were getting along pretty well when we were staying at the Grimmauld Place!" Ron's face was puce.

"Don't be silly. Jean is much to old," Ginny told him.

"And Greed isn't older! Harry said that Lust said Greed's been sealed away for like a hundred years! I forbid you to see him!" Ron yelled.

"Oh, like you're so innocent, Ron?" Ginny yelled back. "What are you and Rose doing here, anyway? I know you're not giving her a tour of an empty classroom!" Ron's face lightened to a blush pink, and the hue on Rose's face matched her bangs.

"We heard yelling. What's going on?" Harry and Hermione entered the room. One look at their expressions on the Weasleys' faces told Hermione all she needed to know.

"Ron, leave your sister alone. She's old to make decisions for herself," Hermione told her friend. "It's none of your business. Don't be such a pain." Ginny crossed her arms and nodded in agreement.

"Oh, _I'm_ a pain? What about you, Miss Smarty-Pants-Who-Thinks-She-Knows-Everything?" Ron snapped at Hermione.

"Guys… I really don't think you should fight…" Harry held up his hands to stop them.

"You're just jealous that I get better grades than you, which means I'll score better than you on the exams, which means I'll get a better job!" Hermione shrieked.

"No way! You're just a little know-it-all! Ginny is totally my business!" Ron shouted

"You're always picking on Ginny because she can get dates, which is an area you lack in!" Hermione screeched.

"Oh yeah? I have Rose! You're the one that can't get a date!" Ron roared.

"As a matter of fact, Iruka-sensei and I-" Hermione clapped her hands over her mouth. Everyone looked at her with eyes suddenly brimming with interest.

"Go on," Ron told her.

"Leave me alone! It's none of your business!" Hermione stomped towards the door, which had slammed shut during their argument. She was almost there when it flew open, hitting her in the face. Ron laughed very unkindly. Lust and Gluttony stood on the other side.

"Sorry, girl," Lust told Hermione. She looked at Greed. "Did you hear?"

"What?"

"We're about to get our wish. We're about to be made human!" Lust's smile wasn't wicked like usual, but truly radiant. "Aren't you coming?"

"I don't want to be made human," Greed shrugged. "I want money, fame, women, power… but I don't want to be human."

"Wait… McGonogall's about to make you human?" repeated Harry. "Does that mean…"

"Yes," nodded Lust. "They've got the Philosopher's Stone."

* * *

So, this chapter was super-long as well. They just keep getting longer and longer… as we get closer and closer to the end. :)


	24. Chapter 24: The Philosopher's Stone

"I'm tired of waiting. Can you put my arm on?" Ed asked Winry.

"But Scar said to wait," replied Winry.

"So what? I'm sick of waiting." Ed grumbled.

"I don't know. I have a feeling that this arm is for someone else…" Winry looked down at the mechanical arm. Dobby abruptly burst into the room.

"Dobby has message from Professor McGonogall for Elrics! Professor McGonogall say come down to her office immediately" Dobby's breathlessness indicated that he had run all the way.

"Can this wait until I get my auto-mail arm reattached?" Ed indicated to his right shoulder, which currently had nothing connected to it.

"Forget fake arm! Dobby knows Edward can get real arm back, and real leg, too!" Dobby jumped up and down in excitement.

"Are you saying…" Ed gasped. Al was speechless.

"Yes! Come on! Professor McGonogall is waiting!" Dobby hopped towards the door.

"Okay!" Ed jumped out of the hospital bed and raced over to the door.

"Alphonse, next time we see each other, I think you'll look different," Hinata smiled. He was still shocked. Hinata stood, and helped Alphonse up. "Al. You're going to get your body back."

"Yeah… I am…" Alphonse gasped, suddenly realizing what was happening. "Yes I am!" He hugged a blushing Hinata. "I'm going to get my body back!"

"Let's go!" Ed called him, and they both ran with Dobby towards McGonogall's office. They sprinted down stairs and halls, and past classrooms and students. They were joined by the equally enthusiastic homunculi Wrath, Sloth, Lust and Gluttony. Greed and Envy also trailed behind them, a little less excited.

They stopped in front of the stone gargoyle.

"Promptness," Lust said to the statue. The stairs to McGonogall's office was revealed, and they all ran up, not pausing until they reached the door. Lust rapped the door sharply.

"Who is it?" McGonogall called.

"Lust! We're all here!" Lust's voice was almost giddy.

The door opened, and they all entered. A large, complex transmutation circle was drawn on the floor. The Veil of Death from the Department of Mysteries stood in the middle. It looked newer and nicer. The raggedy curtains were embroidered with a pattern much like the tattoo on Scar's arm, and glowed with an ethereal light that changed every few seconds. Hohenheim, McGonogall, Izumi, Roy and Jiraiya were standing outside the circle. Scar was lying on the couch. He seemed to have hard time breathing.

"How did you do it?" asked Al.

"This Veil was already an incomplete Philosopher's Stone. We fused it with another one," explained Izumi.

"But how did you get the other one?" asked Ed. He glanced over at Scar. He noticed that Scar's right arm was missing the tattoo. It was grey and withered, and looked like it would fall off any second. "You didn't…"

"We all agreed it was for the best," said Jiraiya.

"I am… dying. Damn those chimaeras… that arm is… of no use… anymore," Scar managed to gasp out.

"No! I don't want to get my body back at the cost of another's life!" Al refused. "Why did you sacrifice your life? You could've healed yourself with that arm!"

"Alchemy has three steps. Understand, disassemble and reconstruct. That arm allowed him to skip the first step, and go directly to the second. But that's where it stops, isn't it, Scar?" asked Ed. Scar nodded.

"Why couldn't you just draw the poison out!" asked Al.

"I'm too weak… it's too late…" Scar coughed. "You must heal… and win… for my people… become the Fuhrer…give my people our land back…"

"Of course!" agreed Roy. He had been made fully aware of Pride's homunculus nature.

"Lust… come here…" Scar wheezed. Lust approached him.

"I appreciate this," Lust told him.

"You look so different… but you're as beautiful as ever…" he reached out his trembling left hand and ran it through her hair. "I hope you will remember… who you were before…" Scar fell into another coughing fit. His heart beat so loudly everyone in the room could hear it.

"Scar! Don't die!" Al shrieked.

"Thanks, Scar." Ed bowed politely.

"Is there anything else you want?" Jiraiya asked. His face was coated with sorrow. Tears were running down McGonogall and Izumi's cheeks. Roy was wiping away tears. Even Hohenheim looked sad.

"Save my people…" Scar gave one last cough. Blood spurted out of his mouth. Then, his red eyes faded to soft brown. He closed them. And breathed no more.

"Scar!" Al yelled.

"He's gone," McGonogall wiped away the last of her tears, and she was all business again.

"Anyone who has need of the Stone should stand in the circle," instructed Hohenheim. Ed, Lust, Gluttony, Wrath and Sloth stepped in eagerly. Al, Greed and Envy hung back.

"I don't want to live at the cost of another's life," Al repeated.

"Don't let his death have been in vain," Izumi told her student gently. After some more consideration, Al stepped in as well.

"I don't want to be human," Greed refused. "I want the Stone after you're done with it."

"What about you, Envy?" asked Jiraiya.

"Maybe if I became human… would you care?" Envy glared at Hohenheim, who didn't answer.

"Make a decision!" Lust urged him. Envy exhaled noisily, and joined them.

"Good. Spread out a little," said Hohenheim. They did what he asked. Hohenheim, Izumi and Roy walked to certain points of the circle that were marked with a particular rune, and crouched down.

"Are you ready?" asked Roy. Everybody nodded. He, Izumi and Hohenheim slapped their hands down onto the runes. The lines of the transmutation circle began to glow in the same way as the Veil. The Veil shifted from a brilliant orange to soft white, and the circle followed suit. It glowed brighter and brighter, until the room filled with a light so blindingly white that those standing outside the circle had to look away. When they looked back, the Elrics and the homunculi were gone.

* * *

"Where are we?" Ed asked. They were in a place that was as white as the room they had been trapped in just a few days ago. Except this place was bigger, and more frightening. Everyone was standing in the same position as when they were in McGonogall's office. No one moved. They were all waiting for something to happen.

"You're back," a voice called to them. Ed turned around, and saw a large, intricately carved Gate. The person who spoke to them was standing in front of it. It had a distinctive silhouette, and that was basically all that contributed to its appearance.

"Who are you?" asked Lust.

"I am Truth," said the figure. "Have you come to reclaim what is yours, Elric?"

"Yes!" Ed and Al replied in unison.

"Very well," the figure opened the Gate. They faced a long, white hallway. "Call to it."

"Call my… body?" asked Al.

"It won't come to anyone else. Go ahead, call," said Truth.

"Um… well…" Al stood in front of the Gate. "Here, body? Come here, Alphonse Elric's body?"

Nothing happened. Just when Al was about to doubt his existence again, he heard footsteps. Al could make out a figure approaching. The figure got bigger and bigger. Finally, it stood in front of Al. It looked thinner than before, and its hair was longer, but it was definitely Al's body. It was wearing the same clothes it had on the day it was lost, except the clothes were smaller and shabbier than before. It had a blank smile on its face. It held out a hand. Al reached out and pulled it towards him. The doors slammed shut.

"I don't believe it… it's your body…" Ed gasped. He first hugged Al's soul and then body.

"You never lied…" Al felt like crying. To his surprise, he saw that his body was shedding tears. "How do I get my soul back?"

"Just step out of your armour and into your body," said Truth. Al closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He held onto his body with both hands, and willed himself to return to his original body. A strange sensation occurred inside of him. When Al opened his eyes again, he was facing the piece of armour that had served as his body for years.

"Edward… I'm back!" Al cried joyfully. The brothers wept and hugged. "I've got my body back. Now we have to restore you."

"What do you want?" Truth asked the homunculi.

"To become human," said Lust.

"Are you sure? When you become human, you will age, and you will be able to die." asked Truth.

"We understand," said Sloth.

"Just do it!" Envy urged him.

"Very well," Truth opened the doors again.

This time, they were faced with complete darkness. Five small points of light glinted in the distance like tiny stars. They shot out from inside the Gate. They zipped out with whooshing noises, and shot into the homunculi's hearts. All of the homunculi's eyes widened. Strange auras enveloped them, and they crashed to the ground.

"I feel so strange…" Gluttony gasped.

"You're still changing. You'll be fine," Truth told them. He turned to Edward. "I suppose you want your arm and leg?"

"Do I call it to me?" asked Ed.

"I'm afraid it isn't that simple. Equivalent Exchange states that something can't be created from nothing. Your arm and leg are not in there, andthey can't be madefrom scratch," said Truth.

"If they're not there, where are they?" demanded Ed.

"Someone else took it. Are you sure you want it back?" asked Truth.

"Yes! Of course!" yelled Ed.

"Fine. Here you go."

Truth turned towards Wrath. His right arm and left leg started to break off into particles. A strange wind swept them towards Edward. The twirled round and round his shoulder, shaping into an arm. The leg particles circled around the stump that the auto-mail was still attached to. The particles grew over the auto-mail,eatingaway at the metal and wires as theyformed into his leg. Edward raised his arm up into the air, and flexed his fingers. He kicked out with his leg.

"You've all gotten what you wanted. Good-bye." The room flashed even brighter. The white light was so brilliant everyone had to cover their eyes. When they finally ventured to look up, they were standing back in McGonogall's office.

"Al! You're back to normal!" Izumi cried happily. "Ed, you got your arm and leg back, too!" she ran in and hugged them.

"Is everyone else okay?" asked Jiraiya.

"I can remember so much…" Lust gasped. "I was made from an Ishbalan woman. She was Scar's brother's fiancée. But I also know that she's not me. I have all of her memories, but I know I am a separate being… with my own soul."

"I remembered everything even before I became human!" said Envy. "I don't know why, but I suddenly feel like I can do alchemy. But I don't think I can do magic or ninjutsu anymore."

"I was a woman named Tricia Elric… you were her sons," Sloth smiled at Ed and Al. She held out a hand, which liquefied and splashed to the ground. The water gathered back and reformed into Sloth's hand. "I can still change into water, but I am not able to perform magic or alchemy."

"Tricia Elric… she was the only woman I ever loved." Hohenheim stepped into the circle and put his arm around Sloth.

"Mom!" although Ed and Al knew she wasn't really their mother, they ran over and embraced her anyway. For a moment, they looked like the perfect family. It looked like nothing had changed. As if Hohenheim had never left, as if Tricia had never died, as if Ed and Al had never committed the greatest sin in alchemy. But everything had changed. That happy family no longer existed.

"Don't just pretend everything's fine!" Envy yelled. "Don't pretend none of this ever happened! Don't pretend I don't exist!"

"Mommy…" Wrath was addressing Izumi. "Don't you remember me? You sent me away… but I came back."

"I remember you. You were my child, whom I transmuted back. I'm sorry," Izumi hugged Wrath.

"I was the only homunculi that was able to do alchemy before, but I feel that I've lost that," said Wrath.

"We're not truly human. We were not born that way, and so, we keep some of the characteristics we had as homunculi," Gluttony was talking without drooling for once. He grabbed McGonogall's coffee mug and easily crunched it up, to demonstrate his point.

"But we have souls. We no longer need to rely on Red Stones. We've both kept our ends of the bargain," Lust bowed respectfully to McGonogall.

"What now?" asked Jiraiya. "Are you going to stay and fight with us?"

"Voldemort will undoubtedly learn of our possession of the Philosopher's Stone," added Roy. "It won't be long before he comes."

"Of course we'll fight!" declared Gluttony.

"You made us human, which was something Dante would not do," said Sloth.

"As homunculi, we were loyal to Dante above all else," said Lust. "And now, as humans, we're loyal to the Order of the Phoenix."

"What about you, Greed?" asked Hohenheim.

"This battle doesn't matter to me that much," shrugged Greed. "I'll live either way. I'm not going to help you. But I won't hinder you either."

* * *

The door to the nurse's ward opened. Ed entered, beaming. He was carrying Wrath on his back.

"Your arm! You're better!" Temari rushed over to him.

"Where's Al?" asked Hinata.

"Hi!" Al entered the room after Ed. Hinata gasped. The armored boy she had known and found beauty in was gone. Standing in his place was a thin boy with grey eyes and long, blonde hair.

"Al! You got your body back!" Hinata ran over and hugged him. "I knew you were real!"

"I'm a little taller than Ed, too," Al whispered, and they both laughed.

"I heard that!" Ed snarled.

"Wrath is missing his arm and leg," Winry observed. "And speaking of legs, where's your auto-mail leg, Ed? If you don't need it anymore, I want it back."

"My real leg grew over it and broke it," Ed grinned sheepishly. Winry gasped. "The limbs Wrath had before were mine. Can you fix him up?"

"Of course! Set him down right here!" Winry pointed to the hospital bed Ed had previously occupied. Ed carried Wrath over, and gently set him down. Pomfrey immediately fluttered over and began dressing his wounds.

"You can attach his limbs as soon as I put on some disinfectant," Pomfrey told Winry. She turned to Al. "You should get some clean clothes that fit."

"Okay! Bye!" Al waved at everyone, and ran out of the room.

"I'm going to be on guard in about 2 hours. I'm going to get some sleep," announced Hughes, also leaving.

"Oh no! Guarding! I left Neji alone the _whole_ morning!" Hinata gasped. "I'd better go, too!"

"Crap! We were supposed to be guarding today!" Ed told Temari

"Don't worry. I put Ino on duty," Temari assured him.

"Now we really, _really_ have to go!" Ed ran out of the room. Temari saw his point, and chased after him.

"So much has happened since we met," Gaara told Luna.

"Yeah. Do you suppose Envy really killed your father?" Luna remembered the conversation they had when they'd first met Envy.

"I don't know. I don't really care," shrugged Gaara. "That man has been nothing but cruel to me since the day I was born."

"Still, he's your father. You should care," said Luna.

"Why? No one cares about _me._ My only purpose in life is to return their hate by killing," said Gaara grimly.

"I care about you," said Luna.

"Oh." Uncomfortable silence passed between the two. They soon redirected their attention to the bed across from Luna's as Winry began to attach auto-mail. When he thought she wasn't looking, Luna saw a pleased smile play upon Gaara's lips.

* * *

"Dante. Nearly two months have passed. How much longer do you need to rest?" Voldemort strolled back and forth impatiently.

"I may be getting younger, but my soul is not getting bigger," the body that previously belonged to Kin was lying limply on a dirty, tattered couch. "Every time I do this, I get weaker. This will probably be my last body."

"I don't understand why this is taking so long!" Voldemort roared. "We are three mighty magicians! We should be able to defeat those puny muggles, mudbloods and blood traitors!"

"Shinobi," Orochimaru corrected him.

"Alchemist," added Dante.

"Whatever! The point is, why are we, the all-powerful immortals, hiding in this dirty little hole when we could simply blast them all away!" Voldemort hollered.

"Patience," Orochimaru hissed.

"I'm starting to disintegrate again," Dante held up an arm for her allies to see. Her whole forearm was covered with revolting, bubbly red blisters that were spilling pus. Even Voldemort had to wince. "Red Stones just don't do the trick anymore."

"Your last body certainly decayed fast. It practically crumbled the second Kin transferred." Orochimaru remembered.

"The same will happen to me if I don't get the Philosopher's Stone!" Dante sounded stressed.

"We should put our plan in motion. Perhaps the Stone will help you, too, Voldemort," Orochimaru told his fellow snake-man.

"We must also destroy Harry Potter! You call yourself the ultimate villain, Orochimaru? Why did your soldiers get beaten by a bunch of little kids!" Voldemort roared.

"Why are we still talking about that? They were clearly outnumbered, and the 'kids' are clearly stronger than you think. Your men were too cowardly to even go, probably because they know that they are much weaker than mine," Orochimaru crossed his arms and licked his lips smugly. "We know who is stronger between the two of us."

"Prove it!" Voldemort pointed his wand at Orochimaru.

"Enough," Dante pulled herself up. "Damn this body… we cannot waste time arguing. I may as well tell you know that only alchemists from my world can make it. I am the only one here that is able to perform alchemy. I am the weakest at the moment, but I am also the oldest and wisest here. You had better keep me alive."

"Only alchemists from your world? I specifically remember a _wizard_ named Nicholas Flamel who created the Stone that fool Dumbledore protected seven years ago!" Voldemort argued.

"Ah, yes, Flamel. You shouldn't be surprised that we are not the first ones to universe-travel. Flamel was half-wizard and half-alchemist, giving him both powers. He was also my alchemy instructor," explained Dante.

"Wait, you're still able to do alchemy, aren't you? In a body that has a different Chakra system?" asked Orochimaru.

"Who do you think I am? I've already thought of this," scoffed Dante, "Every time I change my body, I gain youth at the loss of a little bit of my soul. But my soul is intact enough that I can carry the abilities of the last body I had. It configures my new body to allow it to do the same. Before this, I never had an opportunity to put my soul into a body with another Chakra system. However, now I am able to perform both ninjutsu _and_ alchemy. The next body I change into will also have the same power."

"Interesting," Orochimaru stroked his chin. His partners could already see plans for his soul forming in his mind.

"The circle for a Philosopher's Stone should look something like this," Dante grabbed a quill and a piece of parchment, and started drawing. "Normally, this would take quite a while to draw. Voldemort, you must memorize this. When we get to the battlefield, you can simply magick this and we can get started right away." She handed the sketch to Voldemort.

Voldemort looked at it carefully. He pointed his wand at it, and uttered a spell. The ink on the paper was sucked into the tip of the wand. "Anything else?"

"Go prepare your people," Dante crashed back down onto the couch. She waved her hand at Voldemort and Orochimaru. "We go tomorrow."

* * *

**Note: **I actually like Scar… I really do. It's too bad he died, but at least he had a honorable death (sort of), right? 


	25. Chapter 25: The Death Eaters are Here!

It was a calm October morning. As a matter of fact, it was the last day of October. The last two months had passed by without further incident. A bright blue sky was enchanted onto the ceiling of the Great Hall, and fluffy white clouds drifted by. It was a weekend, and everyone in the Great Hall was chatting excitedly about the first Quidditch match of the year, Hufflepuff vs. Slytherin.

"So people fly around broomsticks and try to shoot balls through hoops?" Neji's tone indicated that he didn't have a very high opinion of the sport.

"Yeah. Harry's the captain of the Gryffendor team," Winry smiled, linking arms with her boyfriend. Harry and Winry had started going out sometime in September.

"It's the national sport of the wizarding world," Harry explained.

"Good morning, guys," Neville joined them at the Gryffendor table. "Where are Hermione and Ron?"

"Good question," answered Harry. "I don't see them that much anymore."

"Ron spends all of his time with Rose, and Hermione hangs around Iruka-sensei a lot," said Winry. Sitting a few feet away, Lavender Brown made a noise of contempt. Ron stumbled into the Great Hall, yawning.

"Hi Ron. Are you excited about the match? We're going against Ravenclaw soon, you know," Harry reminded him.

"Ron's also on the Gryffendor team," explained Winry. "Where's Rose?"

"Dunno. Probably helping Pomfrey. I stayed up all night doing Defense Against Dark Arts homework," Ron yawned. "Man, that Lust is even worse than Snape!"

"No she's not. You just think she's giving us more homework because Hermione's not helping you with it anymore," Harry informed him. "You've really got to make up with her, mate. Even Rose's become friends with Hermione!"

"Hi, guys! I just got off duty and I'm starving!" Alphonse plunked down into the seat beside Hinata. He grabbed a plate and loaded it with food.

"Slow down," Neji frowned.

"I have 4 years' worth of eating to make up for," Al explained. "It's so good to be able to do all these things again! It's good to have my body back! One thing's for sure: I'll never break any rules in alchemy again. I'll be happy if I never see Truth or that gate ever again!"

"You went through so much, Alphonse-kun," Hinata looked at Al fondly. "You deserve your body back."

"I feel kind of bad that I had to leave my armour behind. I had some good memories while I was in that armour," Al put an arm around Hinata and smiled at her affectionately. Hinata, as usual, blushed. Neji snorted in disgust. His relationship with Hinata had been sour at best since she punched him.

"I think Edward-san is happy as well," Hinata nodded across the Great Hall, where Ed and Temari were sitting beside each other, having breakfast.

"It seems everyone's being paired up these days, huh?" Neji noted the fact that Edward and Temari had started going out.

"I am never doing something so stupid again!" Ed told Temari, stretching his right arm. "You have no idea how good it is to be free of that stupid machine! I might've gotten me through a few tough spots, but nothing beats having your own limbs!"

"I hope I never have to experience what you went through," agreed Temari, eating her breakfast. "Maybe it was the weight of the auto-mail that was stunting your growth. You might finally get taller, pipsqueak!"

Girlfriend or not, Ed was about to snarl something very nasty to her when Lee and Sakura approached them. The Slytherins immediately started to boo.

"No Hufflepuff losers allowed here!" Pansy yelled.

"Are you going to the match?" Sakura asked Ed and Temari, ignoring the Slytherins.

"I doubt it. I've got better things to do than watch a bunch of idiots chase each other around on broomsticks," Ed made a face.

"They look really uncomfortable," agreed Temari. "I'll stick with my fan, thanks."

"Edward-san, I heard that your sensei Izumi is a really powerful alchemist," said Lee.

"Evil, too," Ed frowned.

"Do you think she'd be willing to train me?" asked Lee.

"What? Why would you want that?"

"Well, as you know, I have some alchemic powers. I've asked for training from Roy-sensei and Armstrong-sensei, but they're too busy," explained Lee. "Alphonse told me that Izumi-sensei also does alchemy without circles. Gai-sensei is the best teacher ever, but what he can teach me is limited by my lack of ninjutsu and genjutsu skills. He taught me very well in taijutsu, and I want to sharpen my alchemical skills to make them as great as my taijutsu."

"Hey. Speak of the devil," Ed commented as Izumi and Wrath walked into the Great Hall. Wrath headed towards Sloth, who was eating at the teachers' table. Izumi stopped to chat with Al, then walked over to Ed's table.

"Good morning, everyone. Has anyone received the newspaper yet?" she asked.

"No. Why?"

"I heard McGonogall talking to that one-eyed man Winry gave auto-mail to. They were talking rather quietly, but they didn't sound too happy. I heard the word 'Azkaban' several times," said Izumi. "That's the wizarding prison or something, isn't it?"

"Lee? Don't you have something to ask Izumi-sensei?" Sakura prodded Lee.

"What is it?" Izumi asked the boy kindly.

Lee fell onto his knees. He bowed to her. "Izumi-sensei, will you become my alchemy instructor?"

"No," Izumi refused. "After this student became a dog of the military with the skills I taught him, I've decided I'm not taking any more apprentices."

"I promise I will work hard! I will do everything you tell me to!" Lee kept on bowing. "I know that I am competing against Edward-san and Alphonse-san, but I will be the most hardworking, studious apprentice you've ever taken on! I'm very diligent and dedicated! Just ask Gai-sensei!"

"He is very hardworking," as if he and Lee had a psychological connection (which they probably did), Gai dropped in on the group. "He was my only student that mastered the Lotus technique. His lack of ninjutsu has been a handicap all his life. Now that he has discovered another talent to replace it, please don't deny him the right to become all he can in that area!"

Izumi furrowed her forehead in contemplation. Lee was still begging. Izumi snapped her fingers. "Give me 200 pushups."

Without a moment of hesitation, Lee switched positions and began doing what she asked. After exactly 200, he stopped and looked at her pleadingly. His large, round eyes pleaded in a puppy-like fashion. Izumi sighed.

"Fine. I'll train you in the basics, but I'll have to subject you to a _test_ before I fully take you on," Izumi told Lee. Edward shuddered, remembering the _test_ she was talking about.

"Oh, thank you, Izumi-sensei! You won't regret it!" Lee jumped over and hugged her like he did with Gai.

"Gai, you have to do me a favour, too," Izumi told Gai after she broke away from Lee. "See that dark-haired boy in the cropped black top? That's my son, Wrath. After becoming human, he lost his ability to do alchemy and magic. However, he is still able to do ninjutsu. Unfortunately, his knowledge in that art is practically non-existent. He was sulky about it at first, but he's decided he wants to make do with what he has. I want you to train him in the jutsus. Go on and talk to him. He's become less anti-human after he became one."

"Certainly. Good luck, Lee!" Gai bowed, and went over to Wrath. The group watched as Gai started talking to Wrath. To everyone's surprise, instead of the unfriendly greeting Wrath usually gave and Gai usually got, Wrath seemed to agree with everything Gai said. Wrath explained something to Sloth, who nodded. Wrath and Gai turned to Izumi. They both waved and left the Great Hall.

"We should start training, too," Izumi told Lee. "Come on, I want to see what you're capable of."

"Hai, Izumi-sensei!" Lee bowed, and they left the Great Hall as well.

"What was that all about?" Tenten and Shikamaru joined the little group gathered at the Slytherin table.

"Lee's training in alchemy with my old sensei," shrugged Ed. "I hope he's ready."

"Lee's tough. I always felt sorry for him because he could only do taijutsu. He always wanted to beat Neji, but he never had a chance. He never gave up, though." Tenten smiled. "I bet he's going to be an incredible alchemist. He might even have a chance against Neji now."

The delivery owls suddenly swept into the Great Hall. Many landed on the Slytherin table. Harry noticed Draco Malfoy never received anything anymore. It seemed that sadness always clouded Malfoy's expression lately. He didn't even tease people anymore, and when he passed by Harry in the halls, he always gave him a gloomy smile. His mother's death had changed him greatly. An owl landed on the table in front of Ed and Temari.

"Hey, I got something," Ed noted.

He took the package tied to the owl's leg and unwrapped it. Temari took the card that lay on top of the present. When she opened it, a paper pumpkin popped out. "Happy Halloween, Temari, Ed, Naruto and Ino! From Mrs. Weasley!" the pumpkin sang. Four homemade pumpkin-shaped chocolates were packaged in sparkly containers with their names on them. Ed's pumpkin was decorated with the Flamel's cross, Temari's with Sunagakure's symbol, and Naruto's and Ino's had the swirly Konohan leaf.

"Look, we got one, too," Sakura smiled as two more owls came bearing gifts.

"I'm going to go give this to Luna," said Tenten, taking Luna's pumpkin over to the Ravenclaw's table. The owl that was sent to the Gryffendors had a little more to deliver.

"No one can cook like Mrs. Weasley," Al declared happily, munching on his chocolate. Hermione suddenly raced into the room.

"Guys! Did you see the front page of _The Daily Prophet_?" she was clutching onto the newspaper so hard her knuckles were white. She shoved it onto the table.

" 'Prisoners escape from Azkaban'," Neji read the headline.

Harry took the paper from him and read it out loud: "_October 31- It was discovered last night that prisoners noted for Death Eater activity has escaped from the wizarding prison. How it came about is unknown. Authorities report that these criminals has been kept under lock and key, and checked on three times a day. It was reported yesterday that someone had bewitched logs to make them appear as the prisoners. It is unclear how long this has been going on. Authorities recommend that citizens exercise extreme caution, and report to the ministry immediately if any of the following prisoners are sighted_."

Ron turned the page. The pictures of the prisoners were printed on it, with their names underneath. "Bellatrix Lestrange, Lucius Malfoy, Walden Macnair… everyone's there."

"Stupid ministry! They are so incompetent!" Hermione growled.

"I bet you'd make a better Minister for Magic than that idiotic Scrimgeour, Harry!" Ron declared.

"I'm going to take the paper over to the Slytherin's," decided Hermione.

"Are you crazy?" Ron demanded.

"I'm not going to let a little unfriendliness between our houses keep me from sharing news with my _friends_." Hermione snapped. She stepped towards the Slytherin table.

"Go apologize, Ron," Harry urged him.

"Why should I apologize?" Ron grumbled.

"You've been best friends since first year. You don't want to ruin a beautiful thing, do you?" Al told him sensibly. "It won't do if members of the Order of Phoenix are constantly fighting."

"What about Sakura and Ino?" asked Ron. Everyone gave him stern looks. "Alright! Going!" He turned and caught up to Hermione. "Er, Hermione?"

"Yes, Ronald?"

"I'm sorry about, well… making fun of you and Iruka," Ron frowned, thinking how easy it was for the fight to come about.

"That's okay, Ron. We do fight very easily, don't we?" Hermione echoed his thoughts.

"I want you to know that I do want to keep being friends, but I don't really, er… feel that way about you, and, well… I broke up with Lavender because she was annoying, not because I wanted to be with you. You're my best friend, but I like _Rose._" Ron blushed.

"I understand. I don't feel that way about you, either. I'm happy with Iruka." Hermione grinned. "Just so you know, I like Rose, too. She's very nice. I get along with her so much better than Lavender."

"Okay, great. I'll see you at the game. Oh, by the way," Ron shot Lust, who was sitting at the teachers' table a dark glance. "Do you think you could help me with my Defense Against the Dark Arts essay? I don't get why we have to write about homunculi. They're not from our world, and there's _nothing_ in the library about them!"

"I'll check it over for you, Ron," Hermione sighed. "You should really figure things out for yourself. I'm not going to be doing your homework forever, you know."

"Just until the end of this year," Ron grinned. "Thanks, 'Mione! See you at the match!"

Later, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville, Winry, Neji, Hinata, Temari, Ed, Sakura, Tenten and Shikamaru joined the rest of the school in watching the match. They found nice seats with good views. It was such a nice day that Shikamaru immediately fell asleep in his seat.

"Ino will be disappointed," remarked Temari as the team captains met at the middle of the pitch to shake hands. "She's so obsessed with that Malfoy kid."

"_Go Draco!_" someone shrieked, plunking down into the seat beside her. Unfortunately, Edward already occupied that seat, and she landed on his lap.

"Ew! Gross!" Ed yelled.

"Get the hell off him!" Temari hit Ino. "Aren't you supposed to be on duty?"

"Don't tell me you left the Great Incompetence known as Naruto Uzumaki by himself!" Ed groaned.

"And miss a chance to see Malfoy-kun in action? No way!" giggled Ino. "Naruto's fine. That Mei girl's with him. I personally don't see why _anyone_ would want Naruto's company. Oh yeah! I also saw Lee training with your sensei, Ed! She's working him to the bone!"

"We expect no less from Izumi-sensei," Ed and Al exchanged grim looks.

"That Gai person's training Wrath, too," added Ino. "Looks like you'll have a new audition to your team, Neji and Tenten."

"Is he going to replace Lee?" Neji asked hopefully. He was sitting in a seat below them, and looked up as he said this. Something black flashed by the roof, catching his eye. Neji activated his Byakugan.

"What is it?" questioned Tenten.

"Hinata, look at the Astrology tower," commanded Neji. "Do you see what I see?" Hinata activated her Byakugan as well. She gasped.

"What's going on?" asked Al.

"There's three people on the roof… two snake-like men and…"

"That girl from Sound. It looks like Voldemort, Orochimaru and Kin." Neji narrowed his eyes. "But how? I thought this castle was protected."

"You have to remember that Orochimaru is one of the Legendary Sannin," Kakashi appeared with a puff of smoke. "Voldemort is the most powerful wizard in the world, and Dante is a strong alchemist who has lived for a long time. Between the three of them, breaking in shouldn't have been hard. I've just informed the other members of the Order. The rest of you are needed inside." The group leapt into action. "Keep an eye on the students," Kakashi told the teachers, who were sitting a short distance away.

"Kakashi! We came as soon as we got McGonogall's message!" Bill, Fred, George, Fleur, Shacklebolt and Lupin all met them at the front entrance.

"Eez eet true?" Fleur asked. "'As the Death Eaters really come?"

By then, Gai, Lee, Izumi, Wrath, Hagrid and everyone on the second shift had joined them as well. Kakashi and Gai slowly pushed open the doors. They were met with an awful sight. The Entrance Hall was completely filled with Dementors and Inferi. They looked creepy even in the brightness of day. The other members of the Order had left their posts, and were fighting them.

"They're afraid of alchemy!" Riza reminded everyone, blowing a few Dementors to pieces. "Anyone who has those alchemical bullets should stay!"

"Jiraiya! Harry! Lust and the others are already on their way to Voldemort! We should go, too!" McGonogall told them. "The Inferi and Dementors aren't the only ones here, but they're definitely all over the school."

"The Nurse's ward! Rose is there!" Ron recalled.

"Neville, Ginny, Fleur, Winry, you go protect the nurse's ward!" McGonogall commanded. They did as they were told. "Teams 7 and 10, come here!" The teams obeyed, slashing apart whatever unpleasant creatures got in their way. "Naruto, do you remember the Veil of Death? It's in my office! I need you children to go get it! You know where my office is, right?" everyone nodded. "Good! The password is the name of the creature that resides within Naruto! Go!" Sakura, Ino, Sasuke, Shikamaru, Chouji, Mei and Xiao-Mei all looked at Naruto questioningly, but hasted to obey.

"Some of you should stay on this floor and take care of the Dementors and Inferi. The Inferi aren't very good with stairs, so they should be on this floor, and maybe in the basement. The others should find the Death Eaters and take care of them!" McGonogall commanded. "Come on, Harry and Jiraiya! You two have to come with me! We're going up to the astrology tower!" With that, they ran off.

"Do what she says!" yelled Moody.

"Is there anything we should know about the Death Eaters?" asked Hinata.

"There's one big bloke! Name's Greyback! He's a werewolf! Don't let him touch you!" Bill yelled. "We should split up into groups! Fred and George, you're coming with me! The rest of you: good luck!" The three of them ran off.

"Let's go find some Death Eaters!" Ed yelled at Kankurou and Temari, and they went off into a different direction.

"I don't want to miss out on the fun!" growled Moody as he left.

"We should help, too" Kiba told Shino, who nodded. With Akamaru perched on Kiba's head, they also left.

"Come on, Moony! Let's find that rat Wormtail and avenge James's death!" Sirius yelled. The old friends hurried away.

"I want to help, too!" Luna declared, racing off.

"Wait! Luna! It's not safe!" Gaara chased after her.

"I'm going to get my revenge on that git Voldemort for all he's done to me!" Hagrid snarled, exiting.

"I'm not going to run away anymore! I'm going to do something useful for once!" Hinata decided, running into the building.

"Hinata! Wait for me!" Al hurried to catch up to her.

"Idiot girl! Why would she think she can win against one herself?" Neji sighed. "I have to do my duty as a Hyuga Branch," he ran after Al and Hinata.

"Lee!" Izumi yelled.

"Wrath!" Gai bellowed.

"This is your first test!" the announced together.

"Hai, Izumi-sensei!" Lee saluted her.

"Oh, great," Wrath made a face.

"Let's go!" Lee and Gai shouted, each grabbing Wrath by an arm and pulling him after them as Izumi cleared a path for them.

"All my teammates are gone! I'm not going to be the wimpy one that stands around doing nothing!" declared Tenten, racing into the school.

"Don't be so stupid! You can't go alone!" Hayate Gekko followed her.

"Bellatrix Lestrange! She's here! I still have a score to settle with her!" Tonks remembered, running off. Kakashi shrugged and pursued her.

"Looks like they're doing fine with the Inferi," noted Ron. Asuma, Kurenai, Ibiki, Anko and Roy's crew weren't having any trouble slicing the foul corpses to pieces. However, they were advancing as fast "I need to go protect both Rose and Ginny!"

"Are you sure you're okay?" Iruka called to them.

"We're fine! Go find the Death Eaters!" Roy commanded them.

"Be careful," Hermione told them, and the three exited.

"We should spread out! We'll cover more ground that way!" yelled Hughes.

"The Genin wanted exciting missions," Kurenai sighed. "Well, they've got what they asked for."

Unfortunately, the teams sent to retrieve the stone was having a little bit _too _much excitement.

"_Eeek!_ Get away from me, you ugly hooded freaks!" Ino shrieked, throwing a kunai at a Dementor.

"Ino, you stupid pig! That doesn't work!" Sakura yelled.

"We're here! We're here!" Naruto panted in relief.

"What's the password? Hurry up!" Chouji yelled.

"Something about something that's in Naruto!" Sasuke shouted. "Open the damn thing!"

Mei did her dagger trick again, and blew the Dementors up. She quickly retrieved her daggers, but more were on the way.

"The name of the creature that resides within Naruto!" Shikamaru recalled. "What's the password, Naruto?"

Naruto was conflicted. He didn't want to reveal his secret. His relationship with the other Genin were shaky enough as it was. He didn't want them to realize that he had… _it_ sealed inside of him. They had been raised to know and hate _it._ What would they think if they found out that the creature that stole away their beloved 4th Hokage lived inside of him? No, Naruto didn't want to reveal his secret. On the other hand, he didn't want to die, either.

"Naruto! What's the password?" Ino screamed.

Naruto sighed. "The Kyuubi."

"What?" Sakura blinked.

"Did you just say…?" Chouji gasped.

"Yeah. The Kyuubi," Naruto directed the word at the gargoyle. There was a moment of inaction. Then, there was a creaking sound. The stairs to McGonogall's office was revealed.


	26. Chapter 26: Fighting the Evil

"I never realized how creepy Hogwarts is," Fred commented to his brothers as they tiptoed carefully through the school.

"Is it really supposed to be this dark during the day?" added George. The presence of so many Dementors made it seem more like night.

"Keep quiet," Bill hissed. "We don't want to be found first."

The three of them approached a corner. Carefully looking both ways and seeing nothing, they turned. And bumped right into somebody. Fred, George and the opposite party jumped up and screamed.

"Shut up! Calm down! It's just the ninjas!" Bill yanked down their collars to suppress them.

"Tenten! Quiet! It's just the Weasleys!" a voice that sounded like Hayate Gekko's shushed the Genin.

"You're both okay? Did you run into anyone?" asked Bill.

"No. You?"

"No. This is ridiculous. I'm going to make a light," decided Bill, taking out his wand. "_Lumos!_"

"But doesn't that give the enemy an advantage?" Tenten's nervous face was illuminated by the wand.

Hayate had a look of utmost concentration on his face. He held up a finger. "Get ready. Something's coming." Fred, George and Bill brandished their wands, and Tenten grabbed her weapons. They could hear heavy footsteps thudding towards them. With banshee yells, three men dressed in black charged at them.

A sword-wielding Hayate charged at one of the heavyset men who looked an awful lot like Gregory Goyle.

"Dance of the Crescent Moon!" Hayate shouted, and shadow clones appeared alongside him.

"_Crucio!_" Goyle Sr. yelled. Fortunately, he hit the wrong person, and the shadow clone dissolved in a puff of smoke. Goyle Sr. and Hayate fought on like this, while Bill dueled Rabastan Lestrange. That left Crabbe Sr.

"_Expelliarmus!"_ George cried, making Crabbe lose his wand. George quickly ran over and took it before Crabbe could reach.

"Damn kids! Give it back!" Crabbe screeched.

"Tenten! Catch!" George threw it at the Genin.

"Don't mess with things that are none of your business, little girl!" Crabbe yelled, running towards her. "Give me my wand back!"

"No way!" Tenten leapt high into the air and threw a fistful of kunai at the man. Her aim was perfect as usual, even in the dark. Within seconds, she had managed to pin him to the wall. She handed Fred Crabbe's wand, and the three of them approached him, smirking. George cast a spell that summoned chains, bounding the Death Eater to the wall.

"Who else is here?" Fred demanded as he snapped his wand in half.

Something suddenly crashed through the wall. Another Death Eater uttered a spell that freed Crabbe.

"Get out of here!" he barked at Goyle and Rabastan, who were obviously losing. "We're going back to the hideout!" The four of them crashed through another wall, and fled into the glorious morning.

"Dolohov! Bastard!" Moody came running into the scene. "Damn! I'm not as young as I used to be, or I'd have ripped his head off! You're all okay?"

"Yeah, fine. We'd have finished Crabbe if he hadn't run away," Fred scowled.

Shino, Kiba, Akamaru and Shacklebolt dropped in on them from above. A sea of tiny black beetles were carrying the body of a large Death Eater.

"You got Avery," Moody praised them.

"Jugson got away, though," answered Shacklebolt. "It seems they know they strength of these young shinobi."

"So where's the astrology tower?" asked Tenten. "That's where the real bad guys are, right?"

"I can show you," Luna and Gaara dropped in on them as well. Gaara's sand was towing a body. It appeared to have had all of its body fluids drained, but Moody was still able to identify it as Mulciber.

"We should go help Harry and them," suggested George.

"No time to waste, then. Let's go!" The ones who didn't know the way followed after Luna and the Weasleys. They didn't get very far when they were greeted by another spectacle.

"Damn you! You bastards killed Dumbledore! You killed James and Lily! You bastard!" Hagrid was busy pounding a brutal-faced Death Eater to pulp. His wand lay a few feet away from them, smashed into pieces.

"Hagrid! Stop!" Shacklebolt and Bill ran over to restrain him. "He's already dead!"

"Oh…" Hagrid calmed down at the sight of his allies. "I guess I've been hitting him for a pretty long time."

"Travers," with difficulty, Shacklebolt was able to identify the body.

"You cracked his skull bloody open," Moody noted. "Oh well. He got what was coming."

"We have to get to the Astrology tower!" Luna reminded them.

"Right!" agreed Bill, and they continued towards their destination.

-------------

"It's you!" Tonks pointed her wand at the pale, dark-haired woman who stood in front of her. They had found her inside the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom.

"Oh, don't waste my time, stupid niece. You could never hope to defeat me," Bellatrix Lestrange scoffed.

"Wait… she's your aunt?" Kakashi pointed at Bella.

"And also Voldemort's right-hand woman. Move aside, Kakashi." Tonks stepped foreward. "I want to deal with her myself."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Tonks pushed Kakashi back.

"Come and play, little mouse," Bellatrix smirked, waving her over. Kakashi stood off to the side as the two witches faced each other. They bowed. When they straightened up, they pointed their wands at each other. And it began.

"_Crucio!_" Bellatrix yelled. Tonks dropped and rolled, managing to avoid the curse.

"_Levicorpus!_" Tonks shot the spell at Bellatrix. She was yanked up into the air by her ankle.

"You can't win with a trick this simple! _Crucio! Crucio! Avada Kedavra!_" Bella screamed, aiming her wand every which way. Large chunks of the wall were blasted off, and even Kakashi had to duck from the last curse.

"_Incarcerous!_" Tonks yelled, binding Bellatrix up with ropes.

"Damn brat! _Liberacorpus!_" Bella freed herself. And so, they battled on. Several times, it looked like Tonks was about to lose. However, just when Kakashi was about to step in, she always picked herself up.

"Not bad, little mouse. Is your anger driving you on?" Bellatrix laughed. "Your hatred for me is the only thing keeping you alive in this battle! You hate me for killing your ickle cousin!"

"Shut up!" Tonks screamed. "_Avada Kedavra!_"

"You've got to _mean_ it! You've got to say it with _hate!_" Bellatrix seemed to enjoy this immensely. "Like this! _Crucio!_"

This time, the spell hit Tonks. She screamed as pain ripped through her body. A million needles stabbed at her. It felt like her muscles were being twisted and stretched. Claws cut her and fangs bit her. Knives and swords slashed through her and morning starts bludgeoned her. There was no earthly world to describe her agony. She screamed for it to stop. Her mind screamed for it to all go away.

"You have to _want_ to hurt me! Don't you hate me for killing your cousin?" Bellatrix shrieked in glee. "I'm going to finish you like I finished Sirius!"

"What are you talking about? I'm not dead," Sirius casually strolled in. He looked at the state of the room, and whistled. "Lust's going to be mad, Bella. Better run before she makes pork chops out of you and feeds you to Gluttony."

"You… you… how the _hell_…" Bella gaped at him.

"I can't say I'm too pleased to see you, Bella! I have to admit, you're definitely not one of my favourite relatives," said Sirius. He nodded slightly at Kakashi, who was starting to gather his Chakra into his right hand.

"You're supposed to be dead! I killed you!" Bellatrix screamed. "How the hell did this happen?"

"It's a long story," Kakashi informed her. The ball of Chakra in his hand was quite large now. It was making a loud chirping sound. "But you don't need to know it. _Raikiri!_" Kakashi charged at the Death Eater. Bella was frozen in place by her shock at her cousin's return. Kakashi plunged his fist into Bellatrix's heart. It came out through the other side. Bellatrix stumbled backwards, and coughed out some blood.

"Don't worry. You'll be joining your husband," Sirius assured her. "And we're sending your beloved master to you soon."

"Rodolphus…?" Bella gasped.

"Yes. I put him out of his misery." Sirius glared at Bella. "Good-bye, Bella."

Kakashi swiftly withdrew his arm. Bellatrix gave one last bloody cough, and toppled over. Kakashi tossed aside the slimy, bloody thing he'd pulled out, and rushed to Tonk's side. She had stopped screaming now, but her struggling breaths told him she was still in pain.

"_Finite Incantum_," Sirius ended the curse.

"Tonks? Are you okay?" Kakashi helped her up.

"Yeah, I think so. Is she dead?" Tonks pointed at Bellatrix.

"Judging by the fact that he pulled out her heart, I'd say so," Sirius grinned at Kakashi appreciatively.

"Kakashi! I told you I wanted to kill her!" Tonks frowned.

"Sorry. She was getting on my nerves. I couldn't resist," Kakashi shrugged apologetically.

"Never mind. The important thing is that she's dead. We should go help Harry deal with You-Know-Who," Tonks picked up her wand.

"Sirius? I found you!" Lupin ran into the room.

"How was it? Did you win?" asked Sirius.

"Rookwood got away," replied Lupin. "But you beat Lestrange, right?"

"Yeah. Both of them are dead!" Sirius waved his hand towards Bella's direction.

"Good. We shouldn't stop at just that. Let's go find Fenrir Greyback!" proclaimed Lupin, and the four of them exited the room.

-------------

"We have to be careful," hissed Izumi. "They could sneak up on us any second."

"Are they here, mommy? Voldemort, Dante and Orochimaru?" Wrath seemed genuinely frightened.

"You've met them, haven't you?" Izumi stroked his head.

"I hate them," Wrath scowled.

"So it all comes down to this," Gai exhaled.

"We'll win, won't we?" asked Wrath.

"We're not giving up until we do!" declared Lee. "Everyone, be alert. We don't want them to sneak up on us."

"I see something up ahead," Wrath peered into the darkness.

"What?" asked Gai.

"Four men… two Death Eaters and two shinobi… I think the Death Eaters are named Nott and Macnair…" Wrath squinted.

"Get ready. We're going to attack them," decided Izumi.

"What?" gasped Wrath.

"Hai, Izumi-sensei! We will not let them attack first!" agreed Lee.

"Let's go!" Gai shouted. He and Lee charged ahead. Izumi quickly followed. Wrath sighed and tagged alone. The enemies ahead of them were indeed Nott and Macnair. Zaku and Dosu, the otonin Lee met before were also there.

"In the name of youth I command you to stop these criminal activities!" Gai shouted, kicking Nott in the face. He stumbled back, covering his mouth with his hand. Nott spat several teeth out.

"Well said, Gai-sensei!" Lee kicked Macnair in the same fashion.

"Stupid kids! I told you not to talk so loud!" Macnair snarled at Zaku and Dosu.

"We weren't the ones talking! You're the idiots that were arguing because you forgot the layout of Hogwarts!" Zaku snapped.

"It doesn't matter now! No one's coming out of this alive! Kill them!" commanded Nott, spitting out blood. "_Crucio!_" Gai managed to dodge the curse. He also pushed Wrath out of the way.

"Remember, boy! You're human now!" he reminded Wrath. "We didn't cover that much today, but show them what I taught you!"

Wrath nodded. He made a few hand signals, and yelled, "_Kage bunshin no jutsu!_" Immediately, clones of Wrath popped up all over the place. Nott and Macnair blinked in confusion.

"Never take your eyes off your opponent!" Gai announced, kicking Nott in the face again.

"Baka! This is the oldest trick in the book!" Dosu directed his sound waves at a group of Wrath-clones, making them disappear in puffs of smoke. The real Wrath charged at Dosu. He was quick, and managed to give him a good punch before he was thrown backwards. "Stupid boy! You'll regret betraying us!"

"I don't regret anything!" Wrath snarled. Some of his shadow clones were now losing a battle against Zaku.

"You should have stayed the way you were! Now, you have no powers! You couldn't die before, either!" Zaku sneered, destroying the last of the clones. He and Dosu stood on both sides of Wrath. "You've lost it all!"

"I don't care… if I get to be with the people I care about!" Wrath seized some shuriken that Gai gave him, and flung them at the otonin. Of course, they merely blocked the weapons.

"That woman's not really your mother! You're not really human, and you never will be!" Macnair cackled.

"Don't turn away from me! I'm your opponent!" Lee yelled, clapping his hands down onto the floor. A large fist shot up, punching Macnair in the stomach. He was shot clear into the ceiling. As he bounced back down, Izumi slapped the ground as well. Blue sparks shot towards the fist, changing it into a spike. Macnair landed on it. He gave a great yell, and tried to struggle, but to no avail. Macnair looked rather grotesque, impaled onto the spike with the bloody point sticking out of his back.

"Shut up! I am human! The Philosopher's Stone made me a human!" Wrath yelled at Macnair's corpse. He interpreted its silence as ridicule, and angrily shot his shuriken at it.

"Don't kid yourself. You'll never be human." Dosu crossed his arms knowingly. "You're a freak, with a human's pathetic powers."

"Stop teasing my son!" Izumi yelled. She made a gesture like she was about to clap her hands together, but stopped.

"Sensei?" Lee approached her. Izumi's shoulders began to shake. She coughed intensely, spitting gobs of blood all over her hands.

"Pathetic," Zaku scoffed. He and his friend turned away from Izumi. That was their last mistake. Izumi finished coughing, and spat the last of the blood out onto her hands. She clapped her hands together, and produced alchemical sparks. With one swift movement, she flung the blood at the otonin. They left her hands as red, goopy liquid, but changed into thick, sharp needles mid-air. They lunged into Zaku and Dosu's hearts through their backs. The two were caught totally off guard, and had no time to deflect her attack.

"Lady… who the hell are you…?" gasped Dosu. He and Zaku crashed down onto their knees.

"Just a housewife," Izumi walked between them and took their heads into her hands. "And a really pissed off mother." She sharply twisted. Ugly cracking sounds told of the fact that their necks were broken. Izumi let go, and both flopped down to the ground unconsciously. Gai sharply elbowed Nott, as if punctuating the story. Nott slithered to the ground, passed out as well.

"Sugoi, Izumi-sensei! That was amazing!" gasped Lee.

"Thanks. We should go," Izumi waved her companions over. "I know those aren't the only enemies here."

-------------

"Hinata! Stupid idiot! Do you even know where we are?" Neji snarled.

"W-well… we have the Byakugan… we can check, right?" Hinata was careful to make sure Al stood between she and her cousin.

"Wow, it's sure dark for this time of day," Al remarked. "Neji, those comments aren't really helping."

"It's none of your business," Neji crossed his arms.

"Hinata's my friend. When you harass her, I make it my business," Al frowned at Neji.

"Guys… don't fight…" Hinata urged them.

"Hinata, aren't you tired of him being so rude to you?" asked Al.

"I've got it under control, Alphonse. Really, it's okay," insisted Hinata.

"No, you know what? It's not! I know you're bitter about your circumstances, Neji! But it's not Hinata's fault, okay?" Al yelled at Neji.

"You know, if we just stand here and chat, we're easy targets. Why don't we talk and walk?" Neji started to walk away. Alphonse grabbed his hair and pulled him back. Both Neji and Hinata gasped. "Did you just do what I think you did?"

"Yes. I grabbed your hair. We're not going anywhere until this matter is resolved." Alphonse informed him.

"Shut up! You don't tell me what to do!" Neji shoved Alphonse.

"Don't push me!" Alphonse shoved him back.

"Guys! Please stop!" Hinata pleaded.

"Maybe you got a happy ending, Alphonse! You got out of your cage! But not everyone gets a happy ending like that! The one who put you in helped get you out! But the ones who locked _me_ in made an irreversible decision!" Neji shouted, grabbing Al by the collar. "Not everyone gets a happy ending! I know I won't! I know I'm going to be stuck here forever!"

"Happiness isn't determined by what you have, Neji. It's determined by what you do with what you have," Alphonse told him gently.

"So you're telling me you'd be happy in your old body?" Neji demanded.

"Sure," shrugged Alphonse. "Doubts about my existence aside, it certainly had its perks. It was really strong and sturdy, ten times stronger than the body I have right now! I never got tired, or felt hungry, or any of those things. I made a lot of friends while I lived in that body. And even though I was somewhat of a freak, there were people who loved me and cared about me."

"I don't have that!" Neji yelled. "I'm just a weapon! A tool for the Hyuga family!"

"Gai and Lee respect you. Tenten obviously cares about you," Al comforted him. "You have lots of friends. Why aren't you happy?"

"I'm a bird trapped in a cage, Alphonse. There are plenty of people who admire the bird, but they can only look from a distance. I live for those that trapped me, and I'll die for them, too. Just like…" the tears he'd been struggling to hold back broke free and streamed down his face. "Like my father."

"Neji! I'm so sorry!" Hinata began sobbing as well. She ran over and embraced her cousin. Neji didn't resist. "I know my skills are nothing compared to yours! You've already mastered so many of the Hyugas' techniques, and I've only begun to scratch the surface. I know how unfair it is that I'm the Hyugas' main priority, while you're pushed to the side as only a bodyguard. I wish I could change it…"

"Me too…" Neji saw that Hinata meant no harm. His situation really wasn't her fault. And he believed that she would have changed it if she could.

"Wait a second. Hinata, you're the heir of the Hyuga Clan, right? Meaning, you'll be the head of the Hyuga family when your father passes away?" Alphonse observed.

"Well, I don't know. My father's not very fond of my lack of skills, and my younger sister Hanabi is already stronger than me…" Hinata blushed, realizing how pitiable she sounded.

"If you become the Head, then you can just change the laws of the Hyuga Clan, can't you?"

"I don't know… I could try… our clan and its rules go back a long way…" Hinata stuttered.

"You would be willing to try?" Neji asked her.

"Yes! Of course!" Hinata nodded vigorously. For a moment, a look of happiness shined on Neji's face. But that was quickly interrupted by a ferocious roar.

"Children! Little muggle children! Oh, how tender and delicious your flesh must be!" a huge grey-haired man hurtled towards them.

"Who the hell are you?" demanded Neji.

"I am Fenrir Greyback! I am a werewolf! Do you foreign muggles know what that is?" Greyback grinned manically. "I eat humans!"

"I think this is the guy Ron's brother told us to avoid," said Al.

"Children are always the best prey! I will turn all of you into werewolves! Well, except for the girl. She looks very juicy," Greyback licked his lips.

"Oh no… this is like Barry the Chopper all over again!" Hinata groaned.

"Stay away from her!" Al commanded.

"Just try and stop me!" Greyback licked his lips. He snatched Hinata. He wrapped an arm around her neck, and picked her off the floor. "I can smell you so clearly! You smell so good!"

"_EEEK!_ _Pervert!_ _Keep your hands off of me!_" Hinata shrieked, struggling to get free.

"Silence, little girl!" Greyback roared. "Has anyone here ever read 'Snow white'?"

"Get away!" Hinata willed her Chakra into her fist again, making her hand glow red. She lifted up her arm, and punched Greyback in the eye with all her might. Greyback roared in pain, dropping Hinata. She landed on her feet and rushed behind her friends.

"I've been meaning to ask you, Hinata. Where did you learn that move?" asked Neji, remembering his own encounter with it.

"Oh… it's not totally original. I'm sure other people thought of it before me, but I got my inspiration from watching Al concentrate his Chakra into his hands when he does alchemy," shrugged Hinata.

"You guys know how to use weapons, right?" asked Al. The Hyugas nodded. Al slapped the floor with both hands. Something cylindrical and thin formed, and Al pulled them out. When he was done, there was a spear in either hand. He tossed one to Neji, and brandished the other before him.

"Oh! You bloody brat!" Greyback uttered some cuss words while jumping up and down, holding his watery eye. "_Imperio!_" The three kids dodged the curse, and it hit a wall instead.

Alphonse leapt forward, swinging at Greyback with his spear. Greyback stepped back. Neji jumped behind him, and delivered him a few blows to his Chakra points. Greyback clawed at him, but Neji easily dodged it. Greyback attempted to curse them again, and they evaded his attack again. Alphonse threw his spear at him, and it pierced his arm. Greyback howled in pain and dropped his wand. Neji quickly caught it. He broke it with one hand.

"Don't think you've won! I'm different from those other Death Eaters!"

Greyback charged at Alphonse, bearing his fangs. Neji flew at Greyback, hitting him in the back of his neck. Momentarily losing all feeling in his body, Greyback crashed. Alphonse dropkicked him in the stomach. Greyback roared, and stumbled away from him. Hinata screamed in fear when she realized he was stumbling towards her direction. Greyback realized this, too, and kept on going. He grinned madly with his tongue hanging out, drooling over the meal he planned to make of her. Hinata instinctively thrust her spear at him. The point disappeared into his chest… and reemerged, blood red, through his back. An expression of shock overtook Greyback's face. He toppled for a moment, and fell forwards. Hinata escaped just in time.

Neji retrieved the spear Alphonse had thrown. Standing over Greyback, he plunged it into his neck. Bright crimson liquid squirted out. Neji dragged the spear to the other side of his neck. The light in Greyback's yellow eyes faded as his head rolled off his shoulders. A bucket's worth of blood leaked out of his neck. Hinata gave a choked cry and buried her face in Alphonse's chest.

"A true shinobi makes sure their enemy is dead," Neji told his companions matter-of-factly. Footsteps sounded down the hall. His ears pricked up and he squinted into the darkness. "Iruka-sensei is coming."

Sure enough, Iruka, Hermione and Ron appeared. They joined the group. They were panting, indicating that they had run the whole way.

"Is that Greyback?" Ron pointed at the Death Eater they had just defeated.

"That's what he called himself," said Neji.

"Good! He had it coming for what he did to Bill and Lupin!" Ron gave his body a kick.

"We ran into Lucius Malfoy," said Hermione.

"His corpse is lying in front of the Prefect's bathroom," added Iruka.

"He had it coming, too," said Ron. "Let's go to the astronomy tower. Harry probably needs some help."

The six of them trotted towards the direction of the tower. On the way, they ran into Temari delivering a last blow to a sunglasses-wearing man with a piece of cloth covering his mouth. His companion, who wore a similar cloth and glasses, lay on the ground a few feet away, with all of his bones crushed into tiny bits… again. Kankurou stood a few feet away from him, with his arms crossed and looking pleased as punch.

"Aren't those the Misumi and Yoroi guys from the exam?" Hermione recalled.

"Turns out they were working for Orochimaru. We took care of them," Edward assured them. "Are you guys okay?"

"Yeah. We're just on our way to the astronomy tower," said Ron.

"We'll come with you," decided Temari.

"Let's hurry. Something tells me we have no time to waste," said Ed, and they took off towards the direction of the tower.


	27. Chapter 27: Body Snatcher and 2 Snakes

"So it's true." Sakura regarded Naruto sorrowfully.

"You really have the Kyuubi inside you, don't you?" Ino gasped. The eight of them were now safely inside McGonogall's office.

"What exactly is the Kyuubi?" asked Mei.

"It was a nine-tailed fox demon that terrorized Konoha," explained Shikamaru. "The Fourth Hokage defeated it and sealed its spirit away… in Naruto, it turns out."

"Hey, it's not my fault! And I'm not really the Kyuubi! He just happens to live inside my body!" Naruto protested. "I'm not the one that killed all those people! I didn't ask to be this way!"

"So you lived like this for all these years? Sharing every moment of your existence with that damned fox?" asked Shikamaru.

"Yes! But you have to believe me when I say I'm not really the Kyuubi! We're two different people, sharing the same body!" Naruto protested. "Don't turn away from me now! Don't tell me I'm a beast… the adults have been doing that to me my whole life… Don't think of me any differently!"

"You can't seriously ask that of us!" Sasuke replied.

"Yes… what we found out, well… it's _huge_," said Ino.

"You had to live with that _thing_ inside you all your life?" Chouji cautiously approached him. He patted Naruto on the back. "I'm sorry, man."

"Me, too," agreed Shikamaru. "Now I know why the adults treated you like this. But it wasn't your fault."

"You're so brave to have done this," Sakura smiled.

"Yeah. I'm sorry for being so rude to you," said Ino.

"It must've been tough," Sasuke regarded Naruto with something like respect. He then turned away, and pointed at the Veil of Death that still stood in the room. "That must be the Veil McGonogall-sensei was talking about. Let's get it and go."

It took the combined strengths of Sasuke, Chouji, Shikamaru and Naruto to lift it off the ground.

"What is this thing?" grunted Chouji.

"You all know that Ed and Al got their limbs back, and the homunculi were turned human. This is probably the Philosopher's Stone that turned them that way," concluded Shikamaru.

"The Philosopher's Stone?" gasped Mei. "You mean… immortality?" Xiao-Mei excitedly hopped up on top of the Veil.

"Yes. We have to hurry. This thing must be important, or McGonogall-sensei wouldn't have made us get it," said Shikamaru. Sakura and Ino held open the doors for them, and the eight of the exited.

-------------

"I thought you'd never come!" Voldemort smirked at Harry. He glared at Orochimaru, Kabuto, Pettigrew and Dante. "This kid belongs to me! No one else touch him!"

"Don't worry. We won't touch your boyfriend," Orochimaru rolled his eyes. He was carrying Dante, who was now too weak to walk.

"Shut up! I'm not the snake-pervert that tattoos little boys for pleasure!" Voldemort snapped.

"He's got a good point, you know," Dante commented wryly.

"Be a dear and shut up before I drop you and break all your bones, grandma," Orochimaru hissed.

"Do that and you'll never get the Philosopher's Stone," Dante scoffed.

"That's enough! No one's dropping anybody!" Voldemort barked.

"Look. My whole family is here," Dante smiled fondly at Hohenheim and Envy. "We've known each other for so long, Hohenheim. Won't you give me a kiss for old times' sake?" Hohenheim politely declined. Dante turned to Envy. "How could you betray the mother who loved you so?"

"Because you moved into a smelly old snake hole with two smelly snake pervs who wanted to take over my body," Envy grimaced.

"My old teammate Jiraiya is here also. I have found a three-man team better than our old one. Our old sensei, the geezer, is nearing death, isn't he? And he so wanted me to be the next Hokage…" Orochimaru smirked. "But when we win, there will _be _no Konoha left!"

"Potter brat, you have evaded death for too long, but it all comes down to this." Voldemort stuck out his wand. "There can only be two outcomes."

"That's right, Voldemort," Harry pointed his wand at the snake-like wizard. "Either you'll be dead and the worlds will be safe, or I'll be dead… and the worlds will be destroyed. I can't let that happen!"

"How can there be only two outcomes? It's not like Voldemort's the heart of this team," scoffed Orochimaru. "You still have to deal with the two of us." Dante voiced her agreement.

"Enough talk!" yelled Envy. "I forget how sick I am of your face, snake-perv!" He leapt into the air towards Orochimaru.

"Envy! No! Remember, you're human now!" cried Gluttony. Envy ignored him. He shifted into a dragon that was big enough to wrap its body around the tower. He twirled through the air, his body like a ribbon.

"Take care of the woman," Orochimaru thrust Dante into Kabuto's arms.

"What am I? Luggage?" Dante complained.

"Exactly," Orochimaru jumped up into the midst of the coils of Envy's body. "I always hated you too, you brat!"

"I'll kill you! Stupid, worthless human! I'll feast on your bones!" Envy's head shot down and he clamped his jaws around Orochimaru's waist. "How I hate you humans! I will murder all of you! I will kill all the humans! Only homunculi will be left!"

"You fool." Orochimaru made some hand signals.

A black aura enveloped his hand, and he plunged them into Envy's body. Black marks shot out of his hands, traveling up and down Envy's body. The marks thickened, curling round and round Envy's serpentine form. Envy loosened his jaws. Orochimaru gracefully leapt back onto the tower. Envy hacked and coughed, streams of blood shooting out of his nostrils. He slowly shifted back into his green-haired appearance, but the marks remained. They wrapped around Envy like a thick, dark ribbon. His arms snapped to his sides and his legs snapped together. He looked like the victim of a Freezing Charm, but this jutsu was much more deadly. Envy stood like that for a moment, but soon toppled over. He gasped for air, before the lines passed over his mouth and cut his intake of oxygen.

"You are a human, too," Orochimaru reminded him.

"Envy!" Lust had not been overly fond of him, but quickly rushed to his side.

"D-damn… you…" Envy painstakingly sat up. He glared at Hohenheim. His effeminate, green-haired form dissolved, replaced by a young man with Edward, Hohenheim and Alphonse's distinctive golden-haired looks. "B-bastard… it should b-be… you…" A large wad of blood propelled from his mouth. Envy closed his eyes and fell over. Dead.

"Is he dead?" asked Gluttony.

"He's just the first! The rest of you will shortly follow!" cackled Voldemort.

"Damn it! No we won't!" Lust pointed her wand at him. "You die now!"

"You novice! You could never hope to defeat a great wizard like me!" Voldemort laughed. "I only want the boy! I'll give you a chance to take back your words!"

"Lust! Come back! We're really mortal!" Gluttony called.

"I don't care! Lives must be sacrificed to dispose of evil!" Lust cried.

"Brave words, little lady! You remind me of Bella! I'll make your death quick and fairly painless!" Voldemort pointed his wand at Lust. "_Avada Kedavra!_"

"No! Lust!" Lust rolled away as Gluttony simultaneously rushed to shield her. The jet of green light hit him squarely in the chest. He fell back, stumbling over Envy's body. He did not die instantly like Dumbledore and Harry's parents. Instead, the green light engulfed him, giving him a verdant aura.

"Gluttony… why?" gasped Lust.

"My family was poor. I was the youngest of ten children, and, to them, I was just an extra mouth to feed. We never had enough to eat and they sold me to the circus. Even there, I starved. No one ever cared about me, and one day, I was beaten to death. Even after I was revived as a homunculus, I was only a servant. But when you came, you tolerated me, and even became my friend… when no one else would." Gluttony grimaced. "This curse is a little slower on me, but it will kill me just the same. I am dying… lives must truly be sacrificed to bring about a better world. Scar, Envy, Harry's parents, Luna's mother… don't let all of those sacrifices have been in vain… do your best to win for all of them… for us…"

"Gluttony!" Lust cradled him in her arms. She felt tears streaming down her cheeks, and she felt _grief_. She felt hatred, but this was not the hatred she felt for humans as a homunculi. This hatred was aimed towards Voldemort, for killing a _friend_… towards Dante, for making them this way. She felt this hatred as a human being.

"Who's next?" Voldemort twirled his wand in delight.

"You're a monster!" gasped Ed. He, Al and Wrath had just made it up to the astronomy tower. The rest of their teams followed shortly after.

Gluttony struggled to have one last word. He lifted up his wand, and pointed it at Voldemort. "_Expelliarmus_…" Voldemort's wand shot straight out of his hand. It flipped over the edge of the tower, and continued its descent to the ground. Satisfied, Gluttony crashed back down and breathed his last in Lust's arms.

"Idiot!" Dante yelled. "How are we supposed to get the circle now!"

"Calm down! It's not the end!" Voldemort turned to Wormtail and held out his hand. "Give me your wand!"

Wormtail looked at the rest of the group. For a few seconds, he curiously met Harry's gaze. Then, he looked up at his master.

"No," Wormtail replied simply, and brought his wand down onto his knee. The piece of wood split in half. Voldemort roared in indignation.

"We're here! We brought the veil! Move!" Naruto and his comrades arrived at the scene, bearing the Veil of Death.

"Perfect! Bring it over here!" McGonogall urged them. They carried the Veil over and propped it down. It stood upright, as entrancing as it had ever been. McGonogall pointed her wand at it and recited a long stream of incantations. When she was done, the Veil gained a black aura. Hohenheim then approached it, and performed some kind of alchemy on it. A transmutation circle formed around the Veil, the lines also glowing in an ethereal way. The curtains on the Veil of Death parted, revealing darkness beyond.

"Get them into the Veil!" Jiraiya instructed. Sloth hurried towards Dante and Kabuto. Her lower body liquefied, making her faster. She reached Kabuto, and they started to wrestle for the old woman in Kin's body.

"Damn! We were supposed to make a Philosopher's Stone out of all of them!" Dante swore. "Stupid, useless morons! This is how it's supposed to be done!" Dante clapped her hands, and laid them on Sloth's shoulders. A blue transmutation circle formed over Sloth's heart, and a green one formed over her own. A pale sapphire light came out of Sloth's transmutation circle, and flowed into Dante's.

"What's she doing?" gasped Wrath.

"She's stealing her Chakra…" realized Neji. The flow of the Chakra slowed and Dante finally broke off. She shakily stood on her own feet. Dante clapped her hands again, and laid them on Sloth's shoulders again. Sloth slowly began to change colours, finally forming into something colourless and translucent.

"Ethanol. She will dissolve soon," Ed told his brother grimly. Sloth looked towards Ed, Al and Wrath. They could see a smile on her pale face.

"You should all know… I'm not really your mother… but Wrath, you've been like a son to me… Edward, Alphonse, she was so proud of you…" her body started to evaporate. "Take care of yourselves, and win this fight… perhaps I will see you again someday…" With that, all of Sloth dispersed.

"We're really just humans after all," Lust was shaken from the deaths of her comrades. She turned to Dante. "But mere humans are capable of so much!" Tucking her wand into her pocket, Lust's fingers extended again. She leapt at Dante and slashed at her. Four claw marks tore Dante's cheek.

"What are you doing!" Dante cried.

"Something I've wanted to do for a long time!" replied Lust, continuing to hurt her. A dark-haired homunculus leapt towards Dante.

"I still have to get you back for sealing me away!" yelled Greed. He gave Dante a final shove, and pushed her right into the Veil. Dante's screams echoed, but soon faded, as she fell through the darkness.

"You're next!" declared Harry, running towards Voldemort. They wrestled for a few seconds, and Voldemort managed to get Harry in a headlock.

"I'll crush your head, vermin!" he threatened.

"No you won't!" Harry struggled to get out of his grasp. He stuck out his wand, and managed to get it lodged up Voldemort's nostril. "_Sectumsempra!_" Voldemort shrieked, letting Harry go. Gashes burst on his skull, and blood spurted out. Ed joined Harry' and they both shoved Voldemort down the Veil. Now there was one left.

"You all know I'm the strongest," Orochimaru licked his lips smugly. "I am at my full health. I've no need for stones and elixirs."

Xiao-Mei the panda burst out of Mei's arms and jumped towards Orochimaru. Mei screamed for her return, but the panda ignored her master. Out of nowhere, a dog and a whole host of bugs joined them on the tower. Akamaru and Xiao-Mei clamped their jaws on each of Orochimaru's arms, and the bugs glued his feet to the ground. Shikamaru performed his shadow jutsu. The Genin's shadow stretched over, connecting with the sannin. As a last precaution, Ed performed a transmutation that froze him in place. Jiraiya picked up the Veil, and walked over to his old teammate. He stood behind him and placed it over his head.

"Say, Orochy, do you remember the time you pushed me in the lake? I couldn't swim back then, and you just laughed while I flailed around," said Jiraiya.

"Yeah... what about it?" Orochimaru struggled to get free.

"I just realized. I never got you back for that." Jiraiya lifted the Veil up high and slammed it down on Orochimaru's head. The snake sannin did not reemerge from the other side, but everyone could hear him swearing as the Veil ate him alive. The animals quickly escaped, and Ed's transmutation circle was replaced by the Veil's. Jiraiya let go, and the Veil dropped to the ground, engulfing all of Orochimaru. When it hit the floor, it slowly stood upright by itself.

Jiraiya performed a sealing technique on the Veil. The transmutation circle disappeared. The curtains closed, and anything that classified the Veil as special faded. Once more, it looked like a normal Veil with an ugly curtain. Using magic, McGonogall opened up a pair of portals. One glowed red and the other, green. All of the Order of Phoenix members who were present at Hogwarts showed up on the tower.

"We've sealed them away at the Gate. When we do magic, alchemy, ninjutsu and so on, we draw energy from our own Chakras, and also from the Gate. The Gate is connected to every place in the world. When we travel by magic, we go through the Gate to another destination. For the next few years, the Gate will feed off of their life energy," explained McGonogall. "But while they remain alive, no one will be able to Apparate, use portkeys, transportation circles, or summon anything. These are the last two portals we can use. Anyone wishing to go home should go now. The red one is for Amestris, and the green one, for Konoha."

"When can we travel again?" asked Wrath.

"Three, four years maybe. The Gate will open on its own when they die," said McGonogall.

"Well, it's been fun, but I'm ready to go home again," said Fuery. All of Roy's subordinates nodded in agreement. They got ready to step into the red portal.

"Wait. Take him with you. _Accio Scar's Coffin_." A simple wooden casket flew into the tower, obeying Lust's spell. She directed the coffin into Fuery, Falman, Breda and Havoc's hands. "Bury him in Ishbal. He lived for his people, and he died a hero. The government won't know this, but his people should." Roy's subordinates saluted her. They slowly backed into the red portal, carefully carrying the coffin. Armstrong and Hughes, also said their farewells, and stepped into Amestris.

"We have a long journey ahead of us in Amestris," commented Roy. "Are you still up for it, Anko?"

"Of course," Anko smiled at Roy and took his hand.

"Coming, Riza?" Roy asked his right-hand woman.

"Actually, no," declined Riza. "I've been supporting you for a long time, and I always will support you. But your dream is almost realized, and I've realized that I haven't lived my own life at all. There's nothing for me to go back to in Amestris. Good luck, Roy. You too, Anko. I'll see you in three to four years." Riza and Roy politely saluted each other. Roy and Anko went into Amestris, and Riza, Black Hayate and Ibiki stepped into the portal to Konoha.

"I am going to miss Hogwarts food!" declared Chouji. "See you soon!" He, Ino and Shikamaru all went back to Konoha.

"It's about time we went home. Are you coming, Kakashi? We have a long report to give," said Kurenai.

"I think I might stay in England," said Kakashi. He put an arm around a blushing Tonks. "There are many job opportunities here, and it is pleasant. Tell everyone in Konoha I said hi."

"Same here. See you soon," said Iruka.

"If that's what you want," said Asuma. He and Hayate each grabbed one of Kabuto's arms. "You're coming with us. You've got a lot of explaining to do, young man."

"See you," Jiraiya and Kurenai waved them good-bye, and the five of them went back to Konoha.

"Well, time to go home," said Temari. Kankurou walked into the Konoha portal. Temari turned to Ed. "Grow tall, okay? And drink your milk!"

"You know I won't!" Ed made a face. They kissed and Temari turned to her brother. "Let's go, Gaara. I bet our sensei's still waiting in the Konoha hospital."

Gaara looked at Luna. Something like nervousness was on his face. "Will you come with me?"

"What?" Luna blinked. Gaara turned away.

"Forget it. Your home is here, and I can't ask you to give everything away," Gaara sighed. "Well, I guess I'll see you…"

"Wait. _Accio trunk! Accio clothes! Accio books!_" all of those items flew up to the astronomy tower. Luna packed her possessions neatly into her trunk, and smiled at Gaara. "I've never been to Sunagakure before. This'll be fun!"

"Are you sure?" asked Gaara.

"Absolutely!" grinned Luna. "Besides, it's not like I'll never see Hogwarts again."

"Well, let's go," Temari smiled at the source of Gaara's happiness, and the three of them stepped into Konoha.

"I'm going to hunt for immortality some more," Mei smiled sweetly at Naruto. She stood on the tip of her toes. Both she and Xiao-Mei kissed Naruto on either cheek. "Bye, Naruto!" They waved at him and went to the Amestris portal. Blushing madly, Naruto stumbled into the Konoha portal. Sasuke followed after him, realizing with irritation that Naruto would brag non-stop about Mei for a week. Sakura waved at Kakashi and Iruka, and followed her teammates back to Konoha.

"It is time for me to go back to where I came from," said Hohenheim, disappearing into the Amestris portal.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Ed yelled, running after him. "You have _a lot_ of apologizing to do!"

"I have to go," Al told Hinata.

"Well, bye," Hinata turned away sadly.

"We'll see each other again," Alphonse promised. He wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her. "Well, take care!" Ed and Al waved and followed their father into the Amestris portal.

Hinata was pitch red, and wobbled for a few moments. She tipped backwards, and her cousin caught her.

"He's going to be very strong the next time we see him," Neji said of Alphonse with respect in his voice. "You'd better train hard."

"Will you help?" Hinata asked timidly.

"Why not," Neji shrugged. He, Hinata and Tenten said their farewells and went back to Konoha.

"I'm going back to Amestris," said Greed.

"I'll come with you!" decided Ginny.

"No you won't!" Ron, Fred, George and Bill protested.

"Let 'er be. She's old enough to make 'er own decisions," said Fleur.

"Are you coming?" Greed asked Lust.

"No. I think I'll stay here. Teaching agrees with me," said Lust.

"Did you know that Voldemort tried for you position a long time ago? Dumbledore told me we've never had a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for longer than a year since then," said Harry.

"Well, the curse has been broken. He's dead," replied Lust. "Sirius, can I still live in the Grimmauld place? I really don't feel like finding new lodgings in such a short amount of time."

"Sure," agreed Sirius.

"I'm off! See you!" Greed and Ginny went into the Amestris portal.

"No way! Give my sister back!" Ron jumped in after them. Rose shrugged, and followed her boyfriend.

"I'm going back to Amestris. I need a _long_ holiday," sighed Izumi.

"Wait! Take me with you, Izumi-sensei!" pleaded Lee.

"But what about your home in Konoha?" asked Izumi.

"I must improve my skills in alchemy! Please take me with you!" Lee begged.

"Well, alright. You have potential. I don't think my husband will mind you much, so why not?" Izumi shrugged. "Coming, Wrath?"

"No, mommy. There's no place for me in Amestris. I want to learn more about ninjutsu," said Wrath.

"Fine, I guess. You'll take care of him, right, Gai?" questioned Izumi.

"Certainly! Lee! You must train hard! When you return, you will be able to defeat Neji!" Gai told his favourite student.

"Oh, you really think so, Gai-sensei?" Lee sniffed. "I will make you proud!"

"You've already made me proud, Lee!" proclaimed Gai.

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

A beautiful, fuzzy beach sunset appeared out of nowhere as the two men fell sobbing into each other's arms. Everyone around them sweatdropped.

"Let's go, Lee," Izumi took hold of her student by the ear, and dragged him over to the portal. "There are some tests I want to give you. The island one's too easy, so I think I'll give you the same test I had to take… Wrath?" Izumi crouched down before her child. "Be good, and listen to Gai… but don't turn all huggy-kissy, okay? And leave your hair the way it is! Your clothes are fine, too!"

"I promise, mommy," Wrath grinned.

"Train hard. Soon, you'll be just as good as ninjutsu as the other kids. Take care of yourself. Good-bye," Izumi kissed Wrath on the forehead. She and her student went into the Amestris portal, and Gai and Wrath went back to Konoha.

"I'm going to close the portals soon," said McGonogall. "Don't you want to go home, Winry?"

"There's no home left for me to go to," Winry said sadly.

"I'm sorry…" Harry hugged her.

"I can make a home here," Winry smiled through her tears. "Lots of people need auto-mail here, and I can live in the Grimmauld place for a while, right, Sirius?"

"Sure! You come live with me, too, Harry! Kakashi and Iruka can come as well! I prefer this family over my old one!" stated Sirius. "And whoever broke that painting of my mother is a _genius!_"

"That was Ed," said Harry. "We really won't see them again for a long time, will we?"

"You're not going to be separated forever," McGonogall assured him. "We'll see them all soon… in three to four years."

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**Note:** And you'd think that's the end, but it's not. Only one more chapter left! Keep on reading! Don't you want to see how everyone turns out?


	28. Chapter 28: Epilogue

It was a sunny mid-August afternoon. All was peaceful and well in the village of Konoha. The branches on the trees waved lightly in the wind, and the birds flew cheerfully over them. The green gates of Konoha stood open. A large transportation circle appeared just outside them. Five adults flew down from the sky. Two of them landed quite comfortable on their feet, but the latter three collided with the ground.

"We got through," announced Harry Potter. It had been 6 years since he'd last been in the village. Much had passed in the last 6 years. Harry was now 23-years-old. He was almost identical to his father, except for, of course, his bottle green eyes.

"I wonder if everyone remembers us?" questioned Winry Potter, nee Rockbell. The 21-year-old worked as a doctor in a muggle hospital, although she still occasionally made auto-mail for the wizarding population. Winry looked almost exactly the same, except she was taller and her hair was longer.

The other two that were with them were Kakashi Hatake, Nymphadora Tonks and Iruka Umino. Tonks and Kakashi had gotten married three years ago, but Tonks decided to keep her own last name. The years changed the three very little. Tonk's hair was bright blue that day, and pulled back into a long ponytail. Kakashi and Iruka were still in shinobi-wear, although Kakashi had stopped wearing the mask. They had not adapted to the wizards' flappy robes, even though they worked for the Ministry as Aurors. Tonks had also gone back to her job as an Auror.

Another circle appeared, only a few feet from theirs. A wizard, three State Alchemists, a Xingese teenager and her panda all crashed to the ground. Harry grinned, recognizing them immediately.

"Very smooth landing, shrimp!" Ronald Weasley snapped at Edward Elric, who landed on his stomach. Ron was taller than before, but otherwise, looked exactly the same. He was dressed in a State Military uniform, and his stripes indicated that he was a Lieutenant Colonel.

"Don't call me short! I've grown! I'm taller than…" 21-year-old Edward picked himself up. Harry noticed that he had indeed grown. However, his younger brother Alphonse was taller than him by a good six inches. Ed was easily the shortest person there. Both the Elrics had long, blonde hair that was tied back into ponytails. They weren't dressed in the blue uniforms, preferring their trademark Flamel's Cross jackets. Ed's was red with a black symbol, and Al's was black with a red symbol. "Well, I've grown taller than Mei!"

"No you haven't. We're the same height, bean-boy," the Xingese girl told him. Indeed, she stood at Ed's height. Mei was wearing a Xingese outfit, and her hair was still pulled up into buns. Xiao-Mei, tiny as ever, was perched onto her shoulder, as usual. "Besides, I'm only 16. I'm going to grow taller, but you aren't."

"That's not true…" Ed whimpered. Al patted his back in sympathy.

"Hey, it's Iruka-sensei!" Lee noticed. He was wearing a military uniform, and he still had his trademark shiny bowl cut. Lee was much taller, and looked almost exactly like Gai.

"Harry, mate! You came, too!" Ron greeted his best friend happily.

"We're been trying to get through everyday," Harry told him. "And today, we finally did."

"Same here!" said Ron. "I'm so happy to see you! Where's Hermione?"

"Hermione's unable to travel," said Iruka, blushing. "You see, we're expecting our first child in October." Everybody congratulated him.

"Rose is home in Lior for the same reason," said Ron. "Ours is coming mid-November."

"Congratulations, mate!" Harry grinned. "I can't believe how much we've both grown up! To think, when we first met, we were both little 11-year-olds who had no one else to sit with on the train!"

Four people jumped out and landed beside the group. Ed recognized the Sand Siblings right away. Gaara, Temari and Kankurou hadn't changed all that much. Of course, at 18, 20 and 21 respectively, they'd grown taller and looked older. Kankurou had also changed his face painting. The siblings also looked a little more relaxed. Although Gaara's eyes were still surrounded by black, they held a much gentler expression that when Ed had last seen him. Gaara was carrying Luna on his back, and set her down upon arrival. Luna had grown very little, for Gaara now surpassed her in height. Her fair hair had been cut to shoulder-length, and she donned shinobi-wear.

"Edward! You've grown taller!" Temari walked up and kissed him as if no time had passed at all. She examined him critically. "Not as tall as me, though."

"And good to see you, too," Ed grumbled.

"Looks like the nickname 'pipsqueak' is gonna stick," Kankurou cheerfully observed.

"The Gate finally reopened, eh?" Gaara nodded his greeting. "It took longer than McGonogall-san estimated."

"How are things back in England?" asked Luna.

"Well, I got a job as an Auror when I graduated. I became the youngest Minister of Magic ever when Scrimgeour retired last year," said Harry.

"Congratulations!" Luna and Ron grinned.

"It turned out that Envy really did murder our father," said Temari. "Gaara's the new Kazekage."

"Temari and I are Jounins now," Kankurou announced proudly. "Luna became a doctor."

"We're engaged," Gaara took Luna's hand. "We wanted to wait for all of you. Now that the Gate opened again, expect a wedding invitation any day now."

"We're actually on a business trip," explained Luna. "I'm here to deliver some medicine to Hayate-nii-san… his illness has improved, but he still gets sick spells occasionally. Gaara's meeting with the new Hokage."

"I'm on business, too," said Mei. "The Emperor believed my story after he saw Ron, Ginny and Anko. He made me the Head of Foreign Affairs."

"There's no use standing around, then," Gaara lead Luna towards the gate and motioned for everyone to follow him. The group practically just stepped into the town when they spotted a pair of familiar faces.

"Riza! Ibiki!" Ed waved at them. A black and white dog walked beside Riza. Spotting Ed, he immediately ran and toppled Ed over. The dog barked excitedly, licking Ed's face in happiness.

Ed recognized him as Black Hayate. Except the puppy was now about the size of a male lion. Ed tried to get the dog off him, in vain and to his friends' great amusement. A little girl was perched on the dog. She looked like a dark-haired, three-year-old version of Riza. She stayed on quite comfortably, gripping on Hayate's collar. Finally, Ibiki and Riza came, and they were able to pull the dog away from Ed.

"I'm sorry," Riza apologized. "I guess he's glad to see you."

"Yeah," Ed scowled, dusting himself off.

"And who's this cutie?" Winry smiled at mini-Riza.

"This is our daughter, Noa," introduced Riza. "Noa? Can you say hi to everybody?"

Noa peered at the group with Ibiki's trademark suspicious glare. "No," she replied.

"Awwwww! Isn't she just adorable!" Riza and Ibiki squealed, shedding tears of mirth. They grabbed Noa and squished her between them in a group hug. Everyone else sweatdropped.

"This seems awfully familiar…" mumbled Al.

"Except both parents are obsessive…" muttered Ed.

"Anyways, how are things back in Amestris?" Riza's tone returned to seriousness after she set Noa back on Black Hayate.

"Well, Roy became the Fuhrer," said Ed. "Havoc and I were promoted to Colonel. Armstrong, Breda, Fuery and Falman all became First Lieutenants. Ginny, Ron, Lee, Anko and Al also joined the army. Hughes and Anko were promoted to Brigadier General… Anko got promotions really frequently after Roy became Fuhrer, if you know what I mean."

"That's really terrific," answered Riza. "But how did it happen? I don't think Roy jumped from Colonel to Fuhrer overnight."

"He didn't. When landed back in the middle of Lab 5 and we sort of… demolished the place," Al explained sheepishly. "We rescued some of the humans they were testing on in the lab. They're in good hands now. They made Hakuro the Fuhrer. It turns out that, shortly after we went back to England, some soldiers sent into Lab 5 were killed by chimaeras. After Hakuro found out we defeated them, and also had Scar's body, he was really pleased with Roy. He gave everyone who was already in the army huge promotions. Roy was promoted to General, and became Hakuro's right-hand man."

"About 2 weeks after we came back, Creta started a war with Amestris," continued Ed. Riza winced. "This time, I had to go to the battlefield. But luckily, this war was pretty short. Hakura died in the war. Mustang was able to talk the Cretians into a peace treaty, and we haven't heard much from them since. Mustang then got promoted to Fuhrer. By the way, Hohenheim went AWOL as soon as he set foot back in Amestris. We haven't seen him since. Some father."

"That's too bad," said Riza. "But life can't be perfect, I guess."

"How have you been, Riza?" inquired Al.

"Well, I decided to become a ninja. Fortunately, I didn't have to go through the academy. Think of how embarrassing that would be! Ibiki trained me," explained Riza. "Last month, I graduated into Tokubetsu Jounin. My specialty is tracking. How are the others in Amestris?"

"Greed is now the owner of a successful nightclub down South," said Ron. "Ginny joined the military. She's a Second Lieutenant, and she works for Ed. She ditched Greed because she got tired of him!" Ron had a look of relief on his face.

"That's what he thinks," Ed hissed to Riza. "However Ginny happens to be one of the Devil's Nest's most frequent customers."

"Ginny also set up Falman with her best friend Sheska, Hughes' secretary. But Colonel Havoc is as luckless with women as ever," said Ron. "Rose became a teacher in Lior, which was fully rebuilt. I serve in the Headquarters closest to there. Ishbal was restored as well. Scar was buried back in his land, right where he wanted to be." The group talked for a little more, until Noa started to fuss.

"We promised Noa we'd take her on a trip outside of Konoha," Ibiki told them.

"We'll see you later," Riza waved at them, and the Morinos walked out of the gate. The group resumed their walk.

"Lee?" a deep voice cried from down the street.

"Gai-sensei?" Lee peered towards the direction the voice came from.

"Lee!" Maito Gai ran up the street towards his favourite student.

"Gai-sensei!" Lee dashed to meet him.

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!" Lee and Gai crashed into each other's arms, sobbing. Lee was as tall as Gai now, and they looked like a pair of twins. A beautiful beach sunset formed behind them.

"Oh no… here we go again!" the Kodak moment was shattered by the voice of a 19-year-old Neji Hyuga. Neji was now taller than Gai, and his hair was so long it touched the back of his knees.

"Lee? That uniform… are you part of the military now?" asked Tenten. Her brown hair was pulled up into buns, just as the group had last seen her. Wrath accompanied the group. At 16-years-old, he looked more like Izumi than ever. His black-blue hair was tied back into a ponytail like Neji's. It was quite as long, but certainly getting there. His arm and leg of auto-mail clearly showed. Winry rushed over, examining them. They had grown a little small, but she quickly assured him that she'd adjust them as soon as possible.

"Yeah. Three years ago, Alphonse-kun and I both became State Alchemists. They chose us for the same reason Edward-kun was picked!" announced Lee. "We're both Lieutenant Colonels now. My second name is the Drunken Fist Alchemist, and Al's is the Split Spirit Alchemist."

"Drunken Fist?" repeated Wrath.

"Yeah. He packs quite a punch when he's had too much alcohol," explained Ed.

"I work as a vet in my spare time," said Al.

"Your sensei must've been as proud of you as I am now," sniffed Gai.

"Actually, no. She got over it eventually, but Izumi was pretty pissed when she found out that all three of us became State Alchemists," Ed recalled.

"She didn't hesitate to show us her anger," added Al. The Elrics looked at each other and shuddered.

"I was sore all over for weeks!" Lee proclaimed. He sniffed in fond memory. "Oh, how I miss you, Izumi-sensei!"

"What does that mean?" asked Wrath, expecting the worst.

"Oh, well, I'm so sorry, Wrath. Izumi… your mother… she passed away a year ago," Al told him gently. Wrath's fears were confirmed.

"If McGonogall-sensei was right, and the Gate really did open in four years… I might've been able to see her again! I should have gone with her! I've lost both of my mothers!" Wrath burst into tears.

"Wrath! I'm so sorry! But Mr. Curtis is still alive, and he's looking forward to meeting you!" Al and Lee rushed to comfort him.

"That's right, Wrath. You still have both your fathers." Neji told Wrath kindly, motioning towards Gai.

"You have your brother Neji, your sister Tenten and your friends, the other kids in Konoha," Tenten soothed him. Wrath wiped his eyes and gave them an appreciative smile. Gai and his favourite student enfolded his second favourite student in a group hug.

"What have you been doing the last six years?" Gai asked Lee. "You've grown so tall and handsome! Surely, a beautiful lad like you can't be single?"

"I am not, Gai-sensei," replied Lee. "I have a girlfriend. I won her through much persistence. Her name is Ran Fan, and she is from Xing, like Mei-chan."

"Dog of a Yao," Mei coughed.

"By persistence, he means he stalked her until she gave in," Ed whispered to Neji. "But Ran Fan learned to like Lee eventually. They make a cute couple."

"Well, the love birds here have nested," Gai elbowed Tenten and Neji.

"Gai-sensei! I thought you promised us you weren't going to say that anymore!" Tenten blushed.

"Okay. We're dating. We're boyfriend and girlfriend. Squeal all you want, I don't care," Neji told Lee. And he did. Tenten and Neji were subjected to the same group hug Gai and Lee gave Wrath.

"Promise me you will make me the best man at your wedding!" Lee told Neji. Both Neji and Tenten's eyes widened.

"Whoa! We're just dating!" Neji exclaimed.

"How are things back in England?" Tenten asked Harry and co. to change the subject.

"We became Aurors," said Kakashi. "Harry became the Minister of Magic."

"Mr. Moody passed away two years ago," said Winry sadly. "He came down with the dragon pox. He didn't tell anyone until it was too late."

"We have to go see the Hokage," said Gaara.

"I'll catch up with you later, Ed," Temari told him. Gaara picked Luna up again, and they disappeared.

"Kakashi-sensei! You're back!" Naruto cheered, spotting the group as he hopped over the roofs. He, Sakura and Sasuke joined the group. All three were now 18 and, to Ed's dismay, taller than him. Naruto still had the same, spiky blonde hair and energetic blue eyes. Sakura had kept her pink hair short all these years. Sasuke was still easily the best-looking boy in Konoha.

"Hey, Gaara mentioned something about a new Hokage," recalled Kakashi.

"That's right! The old man died three years ago!" confirmed Naruto.

"Who's the new Hokage? Is it you?" Mei asked Naruto eagerly. Those who had lived in Konoha the last 6 years all burst into laughter. Naruto's ears turned red.

"No, it's a woman named Tsunade. She is one of the legendary sannin, along with Orochimaru and Jiraiya," explained Sasuke.

The group caught up with what had been going on in Konoha. Sasuke, Neji and Shikamaru had become Jounins. Tenten and Shino were Tokubetsu Jounins, their specialties in examining and tracking, respectively. Everyone else, including Wrath, had made it to Chuunin. Asuma and Kurenai had gotten married. Asuma's team was on a mission at the moment, but Kurenai's team was in Konoha that day. Ino and Sakura had reconciled their friendship, although they were still bitter rivals. Ino was going out with Kankurou, and Sakura was going out with Shikamaru. Tenten pointed out that last week, Ino was with Shino, and Sakura, with Chouji. Before that, it was Kiba and Wrath, and so on. Both were still dead set on winning Sasuke. Harry, Ed and co. told them what was happening in England and Amestris.

"Why don't we give you a tour of Konoha, Mei?" Sakura offered.

"Okay," agreed Mei.

"Jiraiya wanted me to give you something," Naruto told Kakashi. "He's in Suna right now, 'researching' for the next novel." Naruto handed Kakashi a trio of books. One was titled 'Icha Icha Fighting', another, 'Icha Icha Tactics' and the third, 'Icha Icha Drama'.

"Don't tell me there's more of that trash!" Tonks cried. "I found Kakashi reading that garbage last month. I quickly set flames to those!"

"No thank you, I don't want it," Kakashi declined. Naruto shrugged and tucked them back into his bag. When Tonks turned her attention away, Kakashi pulled Naruto aside, and hissed: "Meet me at the ramen stand at six with the books. I'll treat you to all the ramen you can eat! See if you can get the first one, too!"

"Hai!" Naruto's mouth watered at the thought.

"Later!" Sakura waved at them. Team 7, Mei and Xiao-Mei dashed off.

"Come, Lee! We have much catching up to do!" Gai put an arm around his favourite student.

"See you later!" Lee told his friends, and walked off with his old team and Wrath.

"I'll give you a tour of my home," Kakashi told Tonks, and they went away as well.

"I'm going to say hello to some of my friends," decided Iruka, and he jumped away.

"Anyways, Harry, how is everyone else?" asked Ron.

"Well, Sirius works for the Ministry, in the Beast department. Lust still teachers Defence Against the Dark Arts. Lust and Sirius are going out, but they don't want to make a big deal out of it. Hermione teachers Transfiguration, and she's the head of Gryffendor. The eight of us; Sirius, Lust, Tonks, Kakashi, Hermione, Iruka, Winry and I all live in the Grimmauld place," recounted Harry. "Hogwarts is running as good as ever. Kreacher died of a broken heart when he learned of Bellatrix's death. Dobby's as healthy as ever. Hermione's given up on SPEW." Ron laughed at the name. "Malfoy's stopped being so anti-muggle. He works for the Daily Prophet, and he writes articles much better than that Skeeter cow!"

"Wait. I thought we killed all the Death Eaters? Why do we still need Aurors?" asked Ron.

"Some of them escaped," explained Winry. "And the Death Eaters aren't the only bad wizards. Some of them gathered in America. They formed a new group called the Walpurgis Knights."

"You guys catch up," Al told them. "I'm going to go look for someone." Al walked away, and his brother caught up to him.

"Are you looking for _her?_" Ed grinned, elbowing Al.

"She's my friend. You know I miss her," Al replied. They were approaching a street corner. Team 8 was coming up the other side. Hinata Hyuga was first. She quickly fell back against the fence when she saw who was coming. Kiba and Shino kept on going.

"Hey! Ed and Al! You're back?" Kiba waved merrily at them. He was perched on top of a large… no, _colossal_ white dog.

"Hi, Kiba!" Ed waved back. He and Al did a double take after taking a closer look at Kiba's steed. "Is that… Akamaru!"

"Sure! Don't you recognize him?" Kiba patted his dog.

"He grew… a lot!" observed Ed.

"What do you mean?" questioned Kiba.

"Well… three years ago… wasn't he sitting on your head?" Al asked weakly.

"Maybe he has grown," Kiba shrugged. "I've been with him the whole time, so I didn't notice." Kiba had stopped wearing the furry hood, and his brown hair spiked up proudly. He still had the red triangles on his cheeks. A hood and sunglasses covered the face of person that accompanied him. He cleared his throat loudly.

"Is that you, Shino?" Ed peered at him.

"Funny you recognized Kiba and Akamaru so easily," muttered Shino.

"Like we're supposed to know it's you when your face is behind a hood!" frowned Ed.

"Where's Hinata?" asked Al. Behind the fence, Hinata's heart gave a great thump at hearing her name spoken by Al.

"She was just behind us a second ago," replied Kiba, looking around. He spotted her behind the fence. She desperately put her finger to her lips, motioning for him to be quiet.

Alphonse walked around the corner, and spotter her. "Hi, Hinata!" he greeted her cheerily.

At 18-years-old, Hinata Hyuga had still kept a look of childish innocence. She had grown her indigo hair long, put still dressed in a baggy jacket. Her face turned bright red at seeing Alphonse.

"H-hi… Al…" she hadn't seen him for so long she was unsure what to say. One thing was certain. Her feelings for him hadn't faded over the years, and Al felt the same way about her. They stood there for several moments, just staring at each other.

"I'll leave you alone now," said Ed. "I'm going to go find Temari." He gave Alphonse a little nudge.

"I'll help you! Why don't you ride on Akamaru?" suggested Kiba, winking at Hinata. Ed hopped on, and Akamaru dashed away.

"I'm going to… go home…" Shino got what his friends were doing, and jumped away as well.

"Um… how have things been in Konoha?" asked Al.

"They've been okay. Tsunade-sama is a very good Hokage." Hinata fell back into her old habit of fiddling with her fingers. "There's a criminal group called the Akatsuki, and they've already trashed Konoha twice. We've had no luck catching them. And the village of Sound wasn't completely wiped out. We've left it alone, but we get some trouble from them sometimes."

"Evil didn't completely die out," Al told her. "There's a group called the Walpurgis Knights. They've been bothering the people in the wizards' world. Has Neji been nicer to you?"

"That's terrible. Yeah, Neji and I get along now. He even helps me train sometimes," replied Hinata. They talked a little more, relaxing.

"Roy and Anko, Hughes and Roy's old crew are in Aerugo right now," Al told Hinata. "They're trying to come upon an agreement with the Aerugians, but things don't look good. It looks like there's going to be another war."

"Now that you're a State Alchemist, you're going to get sent to the battlefield, aren't you?" Hinata gripped Al's collar, and buried her face in his chest.

"Hinata! Don't worry! I'll be fine!" Alphonse put his arms around her.

"I really missed you, Al," Hinata confessed.

"I missed you, too," Al whispered back. Throughout their journey through Konoha, the sky had been changing from blue to grey, although the others hadn't noticed in their joyous reunion. Now, the rain began to pour down from the clouds. But the two just stood there, embracing each other.

"You're not going to leave again, are you?" asked Hinata. "I haven't seen you for so long, and now, you have to go to war…"

"We don't live in perfect worlds," Al told her. "As long as we're human, war and death will continue to exist. Killing a few villains won't change that."

"You're right," Hinata smiled. "We just have to make the best of the circumstances we have."

"Exactly." Al lifted her chin. They looked at each other, white eyes locked onto grey. Their lips met. The downpour of rain didn't lessen as Alphonse and Hinata kissed.

"Come on. Let's get out of the rain," Alphonse put an arm around her. Hinata drew herself closer to him, and together, they walked down the street in search of shelter.

**THE END**

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And I declare "The Magic of Alchemy with Ninjas" officially over! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it! Good-bye! Sayonara! Au revoir! Zai jien! Auf Wiedersehen! Thank you all so much for reading!


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